Memento Mori
by walker-baitxx
Summary: The summer The Crooked Man wreaked his havoc on Fabletown has come and gone; it is now winter and the cooler weather brings with it a new Fable to the community - as well as a series of murders and a new threat from the Homelands. Can Bigby Wolf solve such a case before his beloved Snow White succumbs to the same fate as the murdered and before Fabletown falls to the Adversary?
1. Chapter 1: Nightmare

_The summer The Crooked Man wreaked his havoc on Fabletown has come and gone; it is now winter and the cooler weather brings with it a new Fable to the community - as well as a series of kidnappings and strange murders and a new threat from the Homelands. Can Bigby Wolf solve such a case before his beloved Snow White succumbs to the same fate and before Fabletown falls to the Adversary?  
_

_[I swear it's better than it sounds.]_

_Rating: M [for violence and disturbing scenes, coarse language, and sexual content - you have been warned!]_

_Pairings: eventual Bigby &amp; Snow; Bigby &amp; Nerissa; Beauty &amp; Beast; possibly others_

_Further Notes: This will be an AU to the _Fables _comic - characters from it will show up but will have different fates. Obviously, episode 5 spoilers. Also, the name of my sort-of OC Ilyse is pronounced "e-LEESE". It means noble._

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the following; they belong to their rightful owners, including Bill Willingham, Telltale Games, DC Comics, Vertigo Comics, and all others involved._

* * *

**Chapter One**

_The basement beneath the Woodlands was quiet - hell, Bigby couldn't even hear anything. Not the usual drip-drip-drip of water somewhere in the back, nor the sound of his shoes on the cement. Yet he continued walking, past the stone columns until the Witching Well came into view. The lamplight cast eerie shadows around it - one like...like a raven. Bigby glanced over his shoulder. There he was, the Crooked Man, perched upon a lamp, staring down at Bigby with his black, beady eyes. Suddenly he cawed, shattering the silence, and there came a low chuckle, echoing off the stone columns. Bigby recognized it and couldn't help but grimace. He swiveled around to find _her _creeping out from behind a column, glass shards protruding from her body. The metal reek of blood and the sickly sweet scent of death rolled off her in waves._

_"The Big Bad Wolf," she smirked, creeping towards him languidly, like a spider stalking her prey._

_Bigby took a step back. He had nowhere to run, nowhere to hide._

_The raven cawed again._

_Mary continued forward, laughing once more._

_Bigby found himself suddenly pressed up against the Well as she moved ever closer. He closed his eyes and willed the change to happen. Felt the sharp pain in his fingers as his nails extended; felt the hair on his arms and face grow. And then he opened his eyes._

_She stood before him, grinning with teeth like blood-stained glass, her eyes crimson and empty. "See you 'round." She reached forward and pushed him into the Witching Well.  
_

_The raven cawed._

Bigby woke with a start, his chest heaving as he gasped for breath. The sheet beneath him was damp with sweat and - _fuck. _He unclenched his fists to find his nails digging into his skin, blood pooling in the holes. He leaned back against the headboard, closing his eyes, heart pounding like a goddamn drum in his ears.

_It's just a nightmare. Another fucking nightmare. You killed her, remember? Shattered her into pieces._

His heart began to slow and he winced as the holes in his palms knitted back together. It was just a dream.

A soft hand fell onto his thigh and he glanced down at Fai - Nerissa. She stared up at him from the mattress, her eyes half-lidded with exhaustion. "Bigby?" she whispered.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "It's all right. Go back to sleep."

She scooted closer and rested her head on his thigh. "That's the fourth time this week."

"I know," he growled.

"Maybe you should see someone about - "

"I don't need to."

She sighed. "It's almost time - " _yawn_ " - to get up. Hold me?"

"I can't." He searched around his bedside table for a Huff &amp; Puff. "I gotta go in early." Finding a pack, he slipped one out and stuck it between his lips, fumbling for the lighter.

"Why?"

"I told you why last night." He lit the cigarette and took a drag. The smoke climbed down his throat and when he exhaled, it curled in the air above him. He breathed it in slowly. Though it started as an attempt to dampen his senses, over the decades he found smoking helped calm him down. "Snow and I have to talk to that new Fable."

Nerissa snuggled closer. "It's only six," she yawned.

"I've got a lot of shit to do." Taking another puff of the cigarette, he gently moved her head from his leg.

"Bigby - " She looked up at him, her amber eyes dark with hurt.

He kissed her forehead, running his fingers through her soft hair. "I'm sorry. Get some rest, okay?"

She sighed again and turned from him, pulling the blanket over her bare shoulders.

"Nerissa - "

"You've got shit to do," she muttered.

With a sigh, Bigby climbed out of bed. He fumbled around in the dark for his clothes, thrown haphazardly around the room the night before. After dressing and tightening his tie, he pocketed the pack of Huff &amp; Puffs and quietly walked out. He knew when he returned later, Nerissa would be long gone, off to find another job or whatever the hell it was she did while he worked. But despite his attitude, she'd come back. She always did...even that day months ago when he'd had to chase after her in the fucking rain. He stubbed out the half-smoked cigarette in the ashtray by his chair and then moved to flip on a light. It flickered once, twice - _piece of shit _\- before half-illuminating the room. Dawn peeked through the window, and Snow expected him at the Business Office soon. He sighed again and headed for the door. Of all the shit he would rather do at six-thirty in the morning...

But Snow was depending on him.

* * *

The hall outside the Business Office was empty at the ass-crack of dawn, as it should be, and Bigby lit a cigarette as he walked in. Snow sat at her desk, looking down at a file, her red lips moving slightly to form the words she read. God, she was adorable. So sweet and innocent-looking till she yelled and fucked you up.

"You're early," she called out, eyes glued to the papers before her.

He merely shrugged and glanced around the room. Bufkin was probably off drinking in the rafters again, but Snow's new assistant was nowhere to be seen. "Where's Blue?"

"I gave him the day off. He's been working so hard recently."

Bigby walked over to her, taking a drag of his cigarette. "So've you."

"I'm the Deputy Mayor. I can't take a day off."

"Crane did."

She scoffed and looked up finally. "Crane was a...a coward. I'm not."

"I know you're not. But you _are_ human."

She sighed and went back to reading the file. "The _Fable_ will be here shortly."

He didn't miss the harshness of her tone. "Are you gonna be okay?"

"I have to be, don't I?"

"I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to skip out on this interview. After your history with her - "

"I'm _not _a coward," she hissed.

Bigby sighed and stubbed his cigarette out in the ashtray. Immediately, her scent filled his nose - strawberry shampoo and the tang of irritation. "I know, Snow. But after what happened yesterday - "

"I was surprised yesterday. Finding my murderous aunt bleeding and unconscious on my doorstep...how was I supposed to react?"

"Not by completely shutting me out, shutting everyone out."

"Well, I apologize for stressing out."

He reached across the desk to take her hand in his. "Don't do this, Snow. Come on. It's me. Talk to me."

"What's there to talk about? She tried to have me killed when I was fourteen! Sent her Huntsman after me to carve my heart out."

"Maybe you oughta think about...forgiving her. It's been centuries, Snow."

She met his gaze and sighed. "Why do you have to be right?"

Bigby chuckled and ran his thumb over her soft knuckles. "Surprising to me too."

The door opened and Bigby tore his gaze from Snow's. The tall, dark-haired woman they'd found yesterday, passed out outside the Woodlands, walked in, looking regal even in blue jeans and a simple coat. Her wounds seemed to be healed - hell, there was no sign that she'd ever been injured. King Cole followed behind her.

"Snow," she smiled, and Bigby could hear that faint German lilt in her voice. "How lovely to see you again."

"Ilyse," Snow responded, her eyes icy.

Cole closed the door and spread his arm wide. "Miss Grimhilde, welcome to the Business Office. That man there - "

"Bigby Wolf," she said, with a wide, white smile. "We met, yesterday."

"Ah, yes, that's right." Cole smiled jovially. "Well, shall we begin, then?"

Snow moved her files off to the side and sat up straight, her small shoulders squared back and rigid. She stared at her aunt with hard eyes. Sighing, Bigby perched himself on her desk as Cole pulled up a chair for the older woman. He was always showing off for the Fables, but when it came down to it Mayor Cole didn't do shit. He only pretended.

"Miss Grimhilde," he began.

"Call me Ilyse."

"Ilyse, my dear." The older man smiled and Snow gagged quietly. "What brings you here to Fabletown so long after the exile?"

Her smile disappeared and her green eyes darkened. "I-I only now was able to escape. He held me - "

"The Adversary?"

She nodded curtly. "I've been his prisoner for-for _centuries_."

Snow snorted. "You must be joking, Ilyse. You? Imprisoned?"

"You wouldn't know. You have not been there. There's nowhere to hide, nowhere to run."

Snow dropped her gaze. "Ahem. You-you may continue."

"No, hold on." Bigby looked at the older woman, searching her green eyes for any hint of lies. She reeked of anxiety, but not fear. "How were you able to escape? Aren't both portals heavily guarded? No offense, but I highly doubt _you_ were able to escape either cleanly or by killing every single guard."

"Someone was with me," she murmured. "But I-I lost him."

"And he helped you kill _all _those guards?"

"No. We only ran."

Bigby was trying really fucking hard to keep from rolling his eyes. "So let me get this straight. You and this guy escaped from the Adversary's heavily-guarded jails, across the Homelands to the heavily-guarded portal, then on to Canada through the _other_ heavily-guarded portal, then down here to Fabletown - oh, and you lost the guy somewhere along the way - all without killing. Did I get it all right?"

Behind him, Snow scoffed softly.

"No," Ilyse murmured. "You forget one very important aspect."

"Oh, do I?"

"Yes, Mr. Wolf." She leaned forward with a soft smile. "Do you not know who I am?"

"Of course I do. You're the woman who tried to murder her niece - " He saw Snow wince, but continued. "- drove her into a cottage full of sadistic dwarfs and then tried to poison her. That about cover it?"

"Not all. Again, you're forgetting a very important part."

Bigby leaned back, spread his arms wide. "Enlighten me," he growled.

"I am a very powerful sorceress, Mr. Wolf. And I know you find my escape hard to believe, but perhaps...did you stop to think I might have used my magic?"

"And did you?" Snow asked.

"How else would I have been able to escape unscathed?"

_You're a fucking spy._

Instead, Bigby said, "Got me."

"Miss Grimhilde," Cole began. "We might have a job for you here up on the thirteenth floor of this building, creating glamours with other witches."

She grimaced at the word 'witch'. "I am looking only to settle in first. Socialize, make amends." She turned a gentle smile to Snow, who frowned.

"I see," Cole responded. "Well, make sure to return here if you need any help."

"Absolutely. Thank you."

"I'll see you out." The older man stood and helped Ilyse up. With a last smile, they left.

"Ugh - _fuck_!" Snow exclaimed, burying her face in her hands.

Though Bigby was very familiar with that word, it sounded foreign in Snow's sweet voice. Like someone yelling in rapid Latin. "I know."

"I don't trust her. Even _with_ magic, she couldn't escape so effortlessly."

"And why now? Why not 'centuries' ago when he first 'imprisoned' her?"

"Something's wrong."

Bigby sighed and nodded. "Why don't I head up to the portal in Canada tomorrow, check some things out?"

"I want to come."

He lifted his eyebrows, met her frigid azure gaze. "Snow..."

"No. Don't 'Snow' me. I'm sick and tired of sitting up in this office while my town falls apart. So I'm either coming with you or I'm going by myself."

He held his hands up with a smile, placating her. "Simmer down, Snow. Of course you can come - "

"I don't need your permission."

"You're right, boss."

"Of course I am."

Bigby smiled, and Snow smiled.

* * *

Nerissa straddled him in bed, damp and open and crying out, her voice echoing in the dark of his room. On his back on the mattress, Bigby controlled himself. She liked a slow build. He thrust up into her gently, keeping his grunts quiet. Their hands locked beside her hips and she closed her eyes, moaning softly as they found their own sensual rhythm and finally he spilled into her. She gasped.

"Oh - oh Bigby."

He groaned her name as her muscles clenched around him. Then she relaxed and, with a soft whimper, slid off his lap and crawled into his arms.

"Wow," she murmured.

Bigby pushed the moist mahogany curls from her eyes and kissed her softly. "I know."

She gently smacked his chest, smiling. "Don't get cocky."

"Funny choice of words." He leaned down to kiss her neck, damp with sweat.

Nerissa laughed softly and drew back, meeting his gaze. "How was your day?"

He thought of Snow, of Ilyse, and shook his head. "Long. Yours?"

"I-I...I went to visit Lawrence today."

"Why?"

"He was my husband."

That summer day in the rain, she'd told him everything. That she, Lilly, and the real Nerissa often glamoured as each other. That it was Nerissa's head he'd found on the doorstep of the Woodlands. That, after her friend's death, Faith took over her life. _"Faith is dead to me," _she'd whispered on their first night together, when he'd said that name. _"That life is gone. I'm Nerissa now." _Often, he had to remind himself of that.

"Did...did you tell him?" Bigby whispered now.

"No. I can't. He's happier now. Better off without me."

"I doubt that."

"Besides..." Nerissa smiled up at him with those amber eyes. "I'm happy now too."

Bigby held her tighter and stroked her cheek with his thumb. "I'm glad." He leaned in for another kiss.

* * *

When he reached his office the next morning, a small suitcase packed back in his apartment, there was a line outside the Business Office. As usual. It stretched to Bigby's and he had to weave through Fables to reach his door.

"Sheriff," a small voice beside him said.

He looked over to find none other than Tim standing there - well, _leaning_ there on his crutches. The kid smiled.

"Tim," Bigby said with a small nod.

"How have you been? I haven't seen you since - " He broke off, looking down at the floor.

"I'm okay, Tim. And yourself?" Bigby pulled the keys from his pocket and pushed the right one into the hole in the doorknob.

"Good, all things considered."

"Glad to hear it. I'd love to stay and chat, kid, but I'd better get started."

"Of-of course, Sheriff." He smiled again.

Bigby pushed the door open and closed it behind him with a heavy sigh. On his desk was a stack of files that would have to wait till he and Snow returned from Canada. He smiled at the thought - he and Snow in Canada. Alone. Together. It was like a fucking dream come true. But nothing would happen of course. And he wouldn't force it.

The knock on his door pulled him from his reverie. He sighed. Whatever problem this was would have to wait. He opened the door and -

"Hello, Bigby." Beauty smiled slightly.

"Beauty." He fished in his pocket for a cigarette and put it between his lips. Then he lit it, and the smoke began to dampen her scent of jasmine and anxiety. "What brings you here?" He moved to sit at his desk and tapped the cigarette over the ashtray.

"I-I'm a little worried," she murmured, closing the door.

Bigby leaned back in his chair and pushed the files aside. "And it's not a business office worry?"

"No."

"Why don't you sit down?"

She did, and pulled her red sweater tighter around her thin frame. "Promise you'll hear me out. This is really important to me."

"Can't be any worse than the usual shit I get."

Beauty nodded and took a deep breath. "I-I haven't heard from a friend of mine in days. And we talk daily. So I visited her apartment and...she didn't answer."

"Who's this friend?" Bigby took another drag of his cigarette.

"Briar Rose."

"The same Briar Rose who goes off on vacations every month?"

Beauty sighed. "I know what you must be thinking - "

"Then it won't surprise you when I tell you I have better things to do than baby-sit."

"Like what? Breaking up bar fights?"

Bigby sighed heavily and took another puff. The smoke writhed in the air above his head.

"Please, Bigby." She leaned forward and looked up at him with those bright blue eyes and goddamn. "Just - for my own sanity. I'd break into her apartment if it wasn't illegal."

"Is that what you want me to do?"

"Yes. Please, Bigby," she whispered again, those eyes piercing his.

She was so used to getting whatever the hell she wanted just by batting those eyelashes of hers. "Fine," he growled. "I'll look into it." He hated how it even worked on him.

Beauty smiled. "Thank you, Bigby." She stood back and pushed the chair back. "Thank you."

He grunted, then sighed as she walked out. He was just a glorified fucking baby-sitter now.

* * *

Briar Rose lived in one of the biggest, nicest apartments in the Woodlands; on the same floor as Mayor Cole and Snow. Having won the lottery years ago, she invested her money in ritzy furniture and vacations. That's probably where she was now - off in fucking Spain or wherever it was she liked to go. The elevator dinged and Bigby stepped out, digging in his pocket for a cigarette. What a job he had. Damn. There was always something; some Fable getting themselves into "trouble" and he always had to -

_Oh shit._

He smelled it before he even reached her apartment. Sweet and sickly like garbage left out too long; rotten like a cup of milk in a hot room. Cold like metal.

_Death._

Bigby kicked the door open and holy shit the scent of death stabbed his nose and he followed it; fucking ran to the back bedroom. His heart pounded in his ears and veins and the bedroom door was open. He stopped to push it open slowly, and it creaked.

Briar Rose lay in her bed, still as if she were sleeping. And he would've thought she was too.

If not for the gaping, bleeding hole in her chest.

* * *

**Hello hello readers! Thanks for checking this out and if you're reading this, it means you made it through a 3,330-word first chapter :)  
**

**Reviews are always appreciated it, as well as constructive criticism. Chapter two will be up shortly.**

**See you around.**


	2. Chapter 2: As Pale as a Withered Rose

**Hello fabulous readers! Chapter two is a short one :)**

* * *

**Quick note. I give a little more backstory to our favorite physican Doctor Swineheart. The fable he comes from is really quite interesting. If you don't know it or need a refresher, head on over to Wikipedia and search "The Three Army Surgeons". But the part added about him and his brothers finding a person in the woods with a certain organ missing is not true. As far as I know ;)**

**And I'm not an anatomy expert or any of that. What I know came from Google and common sense so sorry if it's incorrect xD**

* * *

**Chapter Two  
**

He was to take her body down to the basement, to the Witching Well chamber. Snow swore to join him and bring Swineheart along - or so she'd said when he had called her up on Briar's phone - but she was nowhere to be found and Bigby had a sinking suspicious that _someone_ was watching him. No matter how often he stopped and turned around, he couldn't shake the feeling.

_Those fucking dreams._

He sighed heavily and set Briar's body on the cement table where Lily's had lain a few short months ago. God. Had it really been only six months? Thanksgiving _had _passed a couple weeks ago and soon Christmas would be here before he knew it and he'd have to buy gifts for everyone...goddamn Mundy holidays. Goddamn Mundies. Goddamn New York City. Goddamn Fabletown. _Goddamn_ all these _fucking_ killers. Bigby dug into his pocket for a cigarette and his lighter and stuck the Huff &amp; Puff between his lips and lit it and the scent of smoke and tobacco began to wash away that of...death. Bigby sighed again and -

_click __click __click __click_

He didn't need to turn around to know it was Snow. Even through the smoke, he could smell her perfume and her _natural_ scent. Her heels - _click click click _\- echoed on the cement floor, followed by the doctor's muffled footsteps. Bigby took another drag, savoring in the smoke slipping down his throat. Then he let it fall to the floor and stubbed it out with his shoe.

"Bigby," Snow said softly, from a few feet behind him. "Is she...covered up?"

He nodded.

"We are going to have to _un_cover her, Miss White," Swineheart said as he came up beside Bigby. "Good evening, Bigby."

He grunted. "You could say that."

The doctor smirked and set his bag of tools on the table beside Briar's concealed head. He began pulling some out as Snow approached, the clicking of her heels growing softer and slower.

"How did you find her?" she asked Bigby, turning her wide blue eyes to his.

"Beauty...Beauty told me she was worried; Briar hadn't contacted her in awhile."

"Thank God she went to you. If she hadn't, who knows...?" Snow sighed.

"You gonna be okay?" he murmured.

She nodded after a silent moment.

"Bigby, could you please uncover the body?" Swineheart asked.

He did, avoiding Snow's eyes and the gaping _fucking_ hole in Briar's chest.

"Oh my - oh my God!" Snow exclaimed in a shocked whisper.

Bigby looked to her, azure eyes wide with fear, red lips parted in surprise. A raven curl fell into her eyes and she did nothing to push it back. "Snow, you-you oughta leave if - "

"I'll be fine." She smoothed her jacket down, brushed her hair back. Yet her eyes remained enormous, drinking it all in.

Swineheart turned towards the body and went still. "Oh. Her heart is gone." He sighed and shifted his gaze to Bigby. "Her _heart_, Sheriff? You couldn't have warned me?"

"I figured you seen worse."

"Not since the Homelands."

"Did you see this particular, er, kind of death before?" Snow asked softly.

"Yes; only once." He grabbed a pair of latex gloves from his bag and pulled them on with a _snap_.

"When?" Bigby folded his arms across his chest. "Might help me in my investigation."

"It was so long ago," the older man murmured. "Not long after my brothers and I left that inn...we ran into the woods and found a man."

"And his heart was cut out?"

"Much to our dismay. We tried searching for it to revive him but had no such luck." Swineheart, holding what looked to Bigby like thin metal sticks, began probing the hole in Briar's chest. "Oh my."

"What is it?" Snow asked, sticking closer to Bigby. Her strawberry shampoo invaded his nose but he was actually grateful for it. It dampened the stench of death.

The doctor pointed inside the hole with one of the metal sticks at veins or arteries or - whatever the hell. "See the way the ends of the aorta and arteries and veins are jagged - like when you rip a shirt in half? Even with the dullest knife, the ends would be somewhat even. But here, it looks as if her heart was actually ripped from her chest."

"With a hand?" Bigby asked. "A _fucking_ hand?"

"It is possible, Mr. Wolf."

"What...what kind of monster could do this?" Snow whispered.

"A very strong one." Swineheart grasped Briar's limp head in his hands, examining it. "I suppose a mundy could have done this. Paired with exceptional strength and drugs perhaps..."

"No, it would make more sense if one of _us _did it," Bigby said. "What mundy would have access to her apartment? Or, if it was just a robbery, why would he have ripped her heart out instead of just shooting her - or leaving?"

"Very true, Sheriff." The doctor sighed softly. "I see no other injuries and I would determine cause of death to be exsanguination, from the hole in her chest and the missing organ."

"Um, Doc? English please."

"It means to bleed out." Swineheart loaded his tools back into his bag before covering Briar back up. "I will leave you two to make further arrangements. Of course if you need me to run tests, I can."

"I'll let you know, doctor," Snow said. "Thank you."

He nodded once, a brisk tip of his head. "Miss White. Mr. Wolf." He walked away without another word, his shoes echoing off the stone columns until he was gone.

Bigby sighed heavily and rubbed his tired face. "I'll check her apartment for any clues."

Snow met his gaze. "Last summer _can't_ happen again, Bigby. We need to find who did this before more people die."

"I know," he murmured. "What about Ilyse, and Canada?"

"As much as I don't trust her, this is more important."

"You're right." He turned back towards the dead Fable.

_Poor Briar._

"Bigby, be honest with me," Snow whispered from behind him. "Who do you think did this?"

"I don't know."

"Find out, and then we have to investigate the portal."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Bigby." Her soft hand found his shoulder and a shiver rippled through his body as she turned him to face her. Her blue eyes searched his face. "You need to be careful. You almost _died_ last June. Don't..." A sigh escaped her lips. "Don't go looking for trouble."

He fought a smile at her worry. "'Careful' is my middle name. The Big Careful Wolf."

A grin peeked through her icy gaze, and then she cleared her throat in an attempt to sober. "I mean it, Bigby."

"It's gonna take more than some psycho with a thing for mirrors to kill me."

"No. It'll take one more silver bullet in your heart."

He sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair. She was right. Why did she have to be right? "I'll be fine, Snow."

"I hope so. I can't lo - " She sighed too and her words from the last summer ran through his head - _I'm not yours to lose._

"When have I ever let you down?"

Suddenly she threw her arms around his neck, tugging him close for a hug. Bigby wasn't dumb enough to question it and he held her tight. They stood in silence for what seemed minutes, her lean body molded to his and her breath tickling his neck.

"Just promise me you'll be careful," she whispered.

"'Course, Snow." He lowered his head to her hair and - _mm. _He could almost taste the strawberries lingering in her raven locks, her damn shampoo.

"Are you smelling my hair?" She pulled back and stared up at him with an arched eyebrow, losing the battle against her smile.

"Er, force of habit." Bigby tapped his nose. "Wolf senses."

"Mm-hmm." That smile broke through and she shook her head, amused.

He watched her walk away, her navy heels _click click_ing on the ground, and dug into his pocket for another cigarette. She drove him fucking crazy. And yet he didn't mind all that much.

* * *

Briar's apartment - if you could call it that; it was like a goddamn house - was exactly the way he'd left it. Vases overturned, their flowers lying on a bed of shards; pictures discarded from shattered frames; tables flipped over. The scent of death had faded a bit, giving way to something lighter. It was musky, like a forest; soft, warm. Familiar. One Bigby hadn't smelled in centuries.

_The Homelands._

He followed the trail of destruction through the living room, hallway, kitchen - a bloody knife lay on the tiled floor. Bigby crouched down, reached out to touch it. The blood had hardened already, congealed on the floor. He leaned closer for a sniff.

Everyone had an individual scent, he'd learned over the years, even in their blood. Crane had reeked of fear and sweat; Mary of blood and death; Colin of smoke and straw; Snow...Snow of roses and _something else_. Even the Homelands had a recognizable smell. And this one, permeating the air around the blood...was a prince's.

Charming.

* * *

**DUNDUNDUNNNN.**

**I feel like this is all confusing xD But don't worry - it'll all make sense in its conclusion.**

**Thanks for reading - revieeewwww! They keep me going :D**


	3. Chapter 3: Princes and Princesses

**I'm back from the dead, everyone! Sorry it's been so long. I've been busy with school and I've been sick a lot...but I'll be updating a lot the next couple weeks, so stay tuned!**

* * *

_This chapter is rated M for language and a small bit of sexual content._

* * *

**Chapter Three - Princes and Princesses**

_It can't be Charming's blood._

_Sure, he's a damn fool but not a...killer._

Bigby stalked through the tenth floor, ignoring Beast and Beauty calling out to him from their apartment because _fuck it all_ their friend was dead. He reached Charming's door and resisted the urge to kick it down. Instead, he balled his hand into a fist and pounded on the door.

"Sheriff," he growled. "Open up!"

The door was wrenched open and there stood the former prince, half-naked and...the scent of sex wafted off him. Bigby crossed his arms over his chest, glowering. The other man merely smirked.

"Bigb - " Charming cleared his throat. "_Sheriff_. You have impeccable timing."

"I don't care. We need to talk." He pushed past the prince and into his apartment. The woman - the _mundy_ woman - on the couch squealed.

"It's okay, my dear!" Charming called as he closed the front door. "I'll get rid of him soon enough!"

Bigby looked at the woman as she clutched various articles of clothing to her body. "You ought to leave," he said. "This'll take a while."

She rushed towards another door, presumably the bathroom, muttering under her breath.

"Sheriff. What brings you here?"

He turned back to Charming, who was dressing, and frowned. "Don't play dumb with me."

"I assure you, I'm not." He ran a hand through his dark hair and straightened up, fully-clothed. "I appreciate the visit, Mr. Wolf, and I've _love_ to chat, but I'm a bit...busy at the moment."

"Cut the shit, Charming." Bigby approached him, narrowing his eyes. "I found your blood."

"Blood? What blood?"

"In her apartment?"

"Whose apartment?" He cracked a smile. "Bigby, is the pressure finally getting to you?"

Bigby grabbed the other man by his shirt and pinned him to the wall.

"Bigby - !"

"Briar Rose is dead," he snarled. "I found your blood on a knife in her kitchen. Now do you know what I'm talking about?"

His blue eyes widened. "Briar...Briar's dead?"

Bigby sighed and released him, stepping back. "You're coming with me. Snow and Cole'll want to talk to you."

"Okay, Sheriff, sure." He smoothed his shirt down and peeked up from beneath his dark hair. "She's really dead?"

Bigby could only nod.

* * *

She couldn't stop picturing it; Briar laying there, chest ripped apart, eyes and mouth wrenched open in silent fear. Oh, how _terrified_ she must've been. Snow couldn't even imagine...she shuddered. Even in the warmth of the Woodlands' elevator she could still feel the chill Briar's body had left with her, hours after seeing it. God, what a morning. And she'd been up since four worrying about her aunt… She rocked back on her heels, exhaustion weighing down her bones. And now she had to tell Beauty that her friend had been found brutally murdered.

The elevator doors opened and Snow stepped out on a wobbly heel, and then another. She was always exhausted now, as Deputy Mayor. With a sigh, she made her way down the hall towards Beauty and Beast's apartment. From the last door a frazzled woman burst out - a Mundy woman. She hurried past Snow with a huff, clutching her coat and purse in her hands.

_She'd come from Charming's apartment._

Snow would have to talk with him later about bringing Mundies to the Woodlands. After she ruined Beauty's day. She stopped at their door and knocked.

"It's Snow White," she called. "I'm here to follow up on your request to Sheriff Wolf - "

The door opened abruptly - Beast stood in its place, his face softening. "Sno - er, Miss White. Good afternoon."

"Good afternoon. I-I've come to see your wife, but I guess this concerns the both of you."

"I see. Well, come in." He stepped aside and Snow moved past him, into the studio apartment. It was large, full of trinkets from the Homelands, including a painting of them from centuries ago, a time when Beauty still had dark hair and they looked almost...happy. Before the Exodus. Before the Mundy world tried to tear them apart.

Beauty rose from the loveseat across from the painting, closing a book, and smiled. "Snow."

"Hello, Beauty."

She walked forward, around the coffee table, to stand beside her husband. Beast slipped his arm around her waist. "What brings you here?"

Snow sighed. "I wish I had good news for you, Beauty."

"Oh." Her face fell. "I-I see."

"Why don't we sit down?" Beast suggested as he pressed a kiss into his wife's cheek.

Snow sat across from them in the loveseat in a deep, soft armchair, and she folded her hands in her lap.

"Has...has Bigby found Briar yet?" Beauty chuckled breathily. Nervously. "I'm sure she just was on vacation without telling me. Heh. Or she just fell asleep again."

Snow sighed again. _Why Briar?_ Oh God… "He-he did find her."

"But…"

"She was...she'd passed on."

Beauty ducked her blonde head as her husband wrapped her in his arms.

"I am so sorry, Beauty," Snow whispered. "I wish to God this hadn't happened."

"But she couldn't have just died," Beauty said. "She was happy and-and healthy…" She lifted her head again, watching Snow with wary eyes. "She must have been murdered."

_Should I say yes? Oh God…_ Snow nodded solemnly. "She was. I am so sorry."

A soft, wounded sound escaped the other woman's lips. "How? Who did it?"

"You don't want to kn - "

"I need to. Please."

Snow took a deep breath and said softly, "Sheriff Wolf found her in her bed. Her heart…" Another sigh. "Her heart was torn from her chest."

Beauty gasped, her pale hand flying to her mouth, and then the tears began to fall. "Who would do such a thing?"

"That's what the Sheriff is currently trying to find out," Snow said. "Again, I'm so sorry for this news and-and your loss. Her funeral will be two days from now, Friday afternoon. I-It would be nice if, perhaps, you spoke."

She nodded as she sniffled, swiping at her eyes. And though she opened her mouth, she could not talk. So Beast said instead, "Thank you, Miss White."

"I will...leave you to your mourning." She rose, smoothing down her skirt, and headed for the door. Her heart ached. God...she couldn't even imagine.

"Snow."

She turned to find Beast standing in the archway, his hazel eyes sad. "Yes?"

"Would you...would you let Bigby know that if he happens to need...help with the case, I am willing?"

A smile crawled across her lips. "Of course, Beast. But I thought you two - "

"I'd do anything for Beauty," he whispered. "You know that."

"I do. And I'm sure Bigby will appreciate it."

"Thank you. I assume we'll see you Friday?"

"Absolutely."

Beast nodded.

She left after a moment, back into the emptiness of the hallway.

* * *

Despite it being early evening when she returned, there was a line outside the Business Office, albeit a short one, but a line nonetheless. The Fables gathered began complaining as soon as Snow stepped out of the elevator. She silenced them quickly and opened the door that read "S. White". She'd been Deputy Mayor officially for about five months now. How Crane had done it for 115 years was beyond her.

_He hid for 115 years._

Snow sighed and closed the door.

"...I didn't mean anything by what I said." Jack Horner. He sat before Blue's desk, his blonde hair tousled and falling out of it ponytail. "Gren took it the wrong way."

Another bar fight. But why was he here and not in the Security Office with Bigby? Snow sighed and smoothed down the front of her jacket and checked her hair before joining Blue. Jack's jaw and left eye were discolored, probably from Grendel's fist, but he was smiling even so.

"Miss White," he said. "How lovely to see you again."

Everyone was saying that to her now. They were all being sarcastic, right? "What trouble have you gotten into now, Jack?"

"Nothing really terrible. Just a small argument. It didn't even get Bigby's attention."

"An argument?" Blue scoffed quietly. "That's not how it looked, nor is that what Gren told me."

"Gren is a liar."

"Your history isn't very honest either, Mr. Horner," Snow pointed out, remembering when Bigby had found him in Crane's penthouse that June night. "So I suggest you tell us the truth now before we find the Sheriff."

He sat still for a minute, considering this. Then he conceded, "Yeah, all right. It all started when Gren said - "

The door opened suddenly and none other than the Sheriff walked in, his handsome face drawn angrily as he pushed some before him - _Charming?_ Snow stood up and demanded, "Sheriff, what is this?"

"Suspect," Bigby growled.

Charming ducked his head, his wrists bound.

"I see. Mr. Horner, I must ask you to leave. We'll deal with you later."

"But I'm not - "

"Jack. Out. Now," Bigby snarled, his lip curling over his teeth in an admittedly-frightening scowl.

The young man didn't need to be told twice and bounded from the Business Office, making sure to stay clear of Bigby's path.

"Why were you not able to deal with him?" Snow asked her sheriff, watching as he shoved Charming further into the office.

"I had_ this_." He released Charming and moved to stand by Snow's side. "Fucker won't talk."

"I already told you I didn't do it," Charming said. His bright blue eyes flicked up to Snow in a silent beg. He was always giving her that look, even a few hundred years ago, all those nights in their wedding bed...but she'd grown hard to it. She turned to Blue.

"Could you watch Charming for a moment while the Sheriff and I talk?"

Blue knew it more of a demand than a request and he nodded quickly. "Of course, Miss White."

Snow grabbed Bigby's arm and all but dragged him back towards a more secluded spot, beside the Magic Mirror. Then she let him go, and he stood before her.

He frowned, rubbing his arm. "Damn, Snow." She'd used all her strength, but figured he'd hardly notice it. Guess she was stronger than she thought.

"Charming? _Really?_ Is this some kind of joke?"

"His blood was in her kitchen."

"But _Charming?_ He's not a killer."

Bigby sighed. "I know that, Snow. I _fucking _know that. But his blood was on a knife in her apartment. I'm just as confused as you are."

She sighed heavily, her irritation rising, and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Fine. Let's just question him, get it over with."

"I already tried. He's not talking."

_Of course not. He didn't do it._

"You don't believe me," Bigby murmured.

Snow glanced up at him, found his soft brown eyes. How did he always seem to know what she was thinking? "It's just hard to believe. Yeah, Charming's an ass, but he's not a killer."

"Just trust me on this, Snow."

She sighed._ Oh God…_ "Fine. But just be nice, okay? I don't want to have to reprimand you today."

He grinned, but sobered quickly. "How was it with-with Beauty?"

"I'll tell you later. Let's get this over with." She turned back towards Blue and her ex-husband but before she could make her way over, Bigby gently grasped her arm, bringing her back to him. Those soft eyes searched her face, and then he sighed.

"I worry about you," he whispered. "Why don't you head home? Blue and I can handle this. Besides, it's not like Charming'll say anything new anyway." His hand slid down her arm and it gently brushed her own hand. "Get some sleep."

"I need to be here, Bigby."

"God, you're so stubborn." He smiled, though, and she suddenly found it hard to breathe, hard to think. "Takes one to know one" was all her numbed head and lips could retort, much to his amusement. He let her go. "Fine," he huffed with another smile. "I'll let you good cop."

As she walked away from him, her mind cleared up and she called back, "I haven't the patience to good cop."

Bigby chuckled softly.

Snow stood before Blue and her ex-husband and sighed. "So, Sheriff Wolf found your blood in the victim's apartment?"

"Snow, it's me." Charming smiled. "Let's drop the formalities, shall we?"

She fixed him with a look.

His smile disappeared and he sighed. "I don't know how he found my blood there. Briar and I haven't talked in-in a long time."

"It was on a knife in her kitchen," Bigby said as he came up beside Snow. "How?"

"You tell me."

The sheriff folded his arms across his chest. "I'd rather hear it from you."

"Look, I don't know what you want me to say, Bigby. I didn't kill her. I haven't even seen her in months. We don't talk. So there you go."

"I don't buy it."

"Well, I didn't do it, so…" he trailed off and lifted his eyes to Snow's again, watching her carefully. God. Of all people, why did it have to be Charming? After he cheated, she'd vowed to avoid him as much as possible. Why couldn't he just admit to it so it'd be over?

_Unless he really didn't do it._

"Bigby," she said softly. "I don't think he did it."

"What?"

"Thank you, my dear." Those sad eyes were gone and she frowned at him.

"I meant, _not_ by himself. I think he's involved - he has to be; I mean his blood was there...but I don't think he actually killed her. Just look at him."

"I don't care if he didn't kill her." Bigby moved closer to him. "He's the only suspect we got. So until he tells who else - "

"I didn't do it! I didn't do it, I swear to God!" Charming leaned close, his face inches from the Sheriff's. "I don't know what you want me to say, but I didn't do it. I didn't kill Briar - I _wouldn't_ kill Briar."

"I _will_ find out who did this, and if I find out it's you - "

"Bigby," Snow snapped.

He looked over his shoulder at her, the ghost of a scowl on his face. Then he sighed and met Charming's gaze again. "You can go. Blue, lock him up."

"What the hell - ?!"

"For further questioning." The Sheriff turned back to Snow and shook his head. "Fucking…" He sighed heavily and Blue escorted Charming from the Business Office, the latter cursing quietly under his breath.

"Bigby," Snow began, making sure to keep her voice calm, even. "You promised me in June that you'd start doing things by the book, cut and dried. Threatening suspects - "

"Men like him only respond to threats."

"No, they don't. Have you ever tried just talking to people?"

"Yeah, and I usually end up getting my ass handed to me." Bigby sighed again and rubbed his hand down his face. "But...you're right," he admitted. "I'll try to do better."

Snow reached out to touch his arm, and his muscles tensed beneath her hand. "Thank you, Bigby. I appreciate that."

He grunted softly in response.

"We ought to leave for Canada Friday night, immediately after the funeral."

Bigby nodded and they fell into silence, just looking at each other. In his soft brown eyes, she saw...something. A kindness she'd only ever seen directed at her. A part of her hated it; she didn't need any kindness. Especially not from a fellow employee. Kindness bred familiarity, and with familiarity came guards being dropped and a lack of respect. A small smile tugged at Bigby's lips and she smiled back. On the other hand, his kindness was nice. Endearing.

"I oughta go, boss," he murmured. "See you in the morning?"

"Sure, Bigby."

"I meant what I said earlier. Go home, get some sleep. Because you look like shit. And I mean that in the nicest way possible."

"You definitely know how to charm a lady." She smiled nonetheless.

Bigby chuckled softly. "I mean it. Sleep."

"You too."

"'Course." He smiled. "Night, Snow."

She watched him walk away, his shoulders tense and hard, and she sighed softly. "Good night, Bigby."

* * *

His apartment was unlocked when he returned. He set his unnecessary keys on the table next to an old whiskey bott - no, _not_ next to an old whiskey bottle. The table was cleared; even the ashtray was empty. Bigby looked around and - shit. His apartment was spotless. The floors were swept and mopped - Bigby didn't even know he had a mop. Must've been Nerissa.

He called her name. Nothing. Then, he said, "Sweetheart, you here?"

Still nothing.

He sighed and began walking towards his bedroom floor. Something tugged at his heart at the thought of not sharing his bed with her tonight. Though they weren't exactly dating, he'd grown accustomed to her long, naked beside his, her warmth, her snores. Maybe he'd just go over to her -

Nerissa was lounging on his bed in nothing but a flimsy, white nightgown. She smiled seductively and his breath left his lungs. "Hello, Sheriff," she purred.

"Nerissa."

"Why don't you - " She patted the mattress. " - come sit."

He nodded, his throat tightening. As he walked he pulled off his clothes, stripping down to just his boxers. He leaned down when he reached the bed and pressed a soft kiss to her olive thigh. "You would not believe the goddamn day I've had."

"Fabletown's a mess, Sheriff?"

He glanced up to meet her amber gaze. "You have no idea." And he began kissing his way up her bare leg.

"You gonna tell me why?"

"Let's just say…" He gently nipped her thigh and she sighed. "Let's just say Fables don't know how to keep themselves outta trouble."

"I know you don't know."

"Like you don't either."

"I know I don't. Now stop screwing around, Wolf, and make love to me."

And he did.

* * *

**I don't think you guys know how hard it is for me to write this Bigby/Nerissa smut. Gaah xD**

**Chapter four should be up in a few days, as well as the next chapter in The Undone and The Divine. I'm also working on an interesting oneshot/drabble from Crane's POV about everything - that'll be up soon. Thanks so much for sticking with me! I love your guys' words and reviews; they make my day :D**

**See ya 'round.**


	4. Chapter 4: Deficit Omne Quod Nasciture

**There is something mentioned in this chapter that has changed from the first chapter (you'll know when you read it - it's in the first paragraph). I will go back and change it later and add a chapter to The Undone and the Divine that explain it further in depth.**

**The title is Latin for "All that is born, dies".**

* * *

_This chapter is rated M for language and a fight scene._

* * *

**Chapter Four:**

Of all the things Bigby hated most, funerals were ranked high up. He hated the tears and the crying, the dressing-up requirement, the talks and the eulogies. But most of all he hated the fact that someone had died and usually it was because of him. Since June he'd suffered through five funerals, all of which had been his fault. He'd been too slow to stop Vivian and the real Nerissa from dying; he'd stabbed Georgie (although his funeral hadn't been much more than chucking him down the Witching Well); it was his lack of clues and evidence that led to Lily's; and Lawrence...Bigby'd saved him in June from his first suicide...but November brought another. All because the prince thought his wife was dead.

Bigby was sick of funerals.

But yet he still went to Briar's; it was expected of him, the right thing to do. He stood towards the back of the group of Fables gathered, watching over everything. Beauty spoke through a cracking, husky voice. Snow spoke too. And then Briar's body was committed to the Witching Well. Bigby looked away as it happened, hating the lump that rose in his throat. Another one, gone.

The crowd of Fables began to disperse and it parted for Snow. She was dressed in her black blazer and red, snowflaked blouse. Her crimson lips were turned down in a soft frown and she stopped a few feet before him.

"I wanted you to speak," she murmured, her azure eyes searching his face.

"And say what? That it's my fault that she's dead?"

Snow sighed. "Bigby…"

"It's true, Snow. You know it is."

"If I can't blame myself for Lily's death and Fabletown's corruption, you can't blame _yourself_ for every single death."

He turned his head and saw Nerissa leaning against a stone column. She had donned a black dress that hugged her curves and was looking at him with a glare mixed with desire. They had not had a fun night. Suddenly Snow's hand touched his shoulder.

"I mean it, Bigby," she whispered. "I'm afraid that if you keep this up, you'll - "

"I'll what?" He faced her again and didn't even try to keep his tone calm and even. "I'll end up like Briar? Or Lawrence? Or any of the other fucking Fables that've died?"

"Yes."

Bigby sighed, shaking his head. "You know what? I'm done talking about this." And he turned to walk away.

"I'm not." Snow practically appeared in front of him, hands on her hips, and blocked his way. Her beautiful face was drawn tight, angrily. "What the hell is wrong with you today? The last couple days you've been so worried about me and today you're just...well...your normal self."

"I'm mourning."

"No. When you mourn, it's silent. This is different."

"Maybe I'm stressed as hell because another Fable is dead and the only suspect we've got won't fucking talk and I don't even know if he did it at all and now Nerissa and I - " He stopped and shook his head again. "It's been a long few days."

"I know it has." Her voice and face grew gentler again. "But you don't need to take it out on me."

He raised his eyebrow.

"Yes, I know you said the same thing to me about Ilyse, but I-I guess we both need to work on how we handle stress."

"I manage my stress just fine." With that, he brushed past her and headed for the back room of the Woodlands' basement, where Dee had been held for questioning in June; where Charming was being held now. It was empty, just bare bones - the chair where the Tweedle had been strapped to, the metal bed frame against the wall, and the water pipes criss-crossing and sliding along the walls and ceiling. Bigby collapsed onto the bed frame, ignoring its cold hardness, and let out a deep sigh. He knew he was being cruel to Snow and that she didn't deserve it. But it was just so easy to lash out. He'd been doing it all his life...and last night, with Nerissa…

"_Do you really have to go to Canada?" she'd asked in the silence following their lovemaking, keeping her soft body from his as if to punish him._

"_Yeah." He got up to wash his face._

"_I wish you wouldn't."_

_And then -_

"_Who were you thinking about tonight?"_

_He lifted his head, caught his own golden eyes in the mirror. They always turned yellow in his most feral of moments. "What?"_

_The bed creaked as she climbed off. "I could see it in your eyes."_

_His thoughts returned to Snow and a sudden rush of guilt spread through his stomach. "I don't know what you're - "_

"_It was Snow, wasn't it?"_

Now, as he rose from the hard metal contraption, he could picture Nerissa's red, furious face, eyes dark and burning.

"_I don't want you going with her."_

"_She's my boss, Nerissa - "_

"_And you want to fuck her!"_

He hadn't responded; he couldn't respond. Now that made him wince. How could he have been so _stupid_? He should've just agreed with her and shut up. But - _fuck_. What good would that have done him? None. And now she hated him - "_I never wanna see you again!". _ It was a long time coming, though.

"_You've been with me every night for three months and you're still too scared to tell me how you really feel about me. Just tell me, Bigby. What am I to you?"_

Once again, he hadn't responded.

The door opened with a loud thunking _crreeaakk_ and Bigby looked up to find...Boy Blue? His young face was pale and he stared at Bigby with wide blue eyes.

"Sheriff, you gotta get out here."

"Why?"

"Bluebeard, that's _enough_!" Snow shouted from outside.

"Shit." Bigby rushed from the small room into the Witching Well chamber to find Bluebeard shoving a handcuffed Charming to a stone column. With a "whoa, whoa - hey, _hey_!" he bolted to tear Bluebeard from the prince and pushed him back. Then he faced the two men, the group of Fables silent, and frowned. "What is going on here?"

"You know damn well," Bluebeard seethed. "This fucker _killed _Briar Rose and you've let him attend her funeral."

"Well, I let you come too, didn't I?"

"But I've not killed Briar Rose."

"Yes, but you have killed every single one of your brides."

Bluebeard frowned deeply, his dark eyes narrowing. "That is neither here nor there, Sheriff. What I'm concerned about is why you seem to continuously fail at your job. Under your watch five innocent Fables have died in the past six months and this time around you have no evidence that this _prince_ \- " He sneered the word. " - even committed such a crime."

"His blood was in her apartment."

"And, what, the rest of us are just supposed to take your word for it?"

Bigby didn't respond.

"How _convenient_."

"You know what, Bluebeard? - "

"We all know how much you loathe Charming because of what he did to your precious Snow."

There came a scoff from somewhere in the room. "Excuse me?"

Bigby turned back to shoot her a look. "Don't, Snow."

"But let's face the facts - you have no conclusive evidence and...Charming is no murderer." A smirk crossed Bluebeard's lips. "He couldn't even kill the dwarves that raped his wife."

Bigby's mind went blank and all he could see was red. He advanced on the other man and felt the wolf in him rise. It blocked out Snow's cry of "Bigby, no!" and he grabbed the open collar of Bluebeard's shirt and pinned him to a column.

"You'd better shut the hell up," he hissed.

"Or what, Sheriff? You'll kill me, in front of all these people?"

"I just might."

"And disappoint your dear Sn - ah!" He winced as Bigby shoved him hard, cutting off his breath. His smirk finally disappeared.

"This is your last warning."

Bluebeard held his hands up in placation. "My a-apologies," he rasped.

Bigby released him. "Fucker," he spat.

And then Bluebeard's fist rammed into his nose. Bigby stumbled back, hearing the other Fables gasp. But they wouldn't stop it; no, they enjoyed a good fight. Suddenly the wolf came to the surface and Bigby forgot all other sounds, all other people. He was only focused on his prey.

He advanced with a growl, baring his teeth. Bluebeard swung his fist; Bigby ducked. He went for Bluebeard's leg with a strong, swift kick and it cracked. The other man went down with a howl, clutching at his broken limb, and glared, seething. That's when the wolf began to push and claw. It longed to come out, to finish Bluebeard and all others who dared challenge it. Suddenly its prey lunged with a pained growl - but he was stopped by a small, white hand on his chest. Bigby too.

"That's enough," Snow snapped, glaring at them both with icy eyes.

The feel of her soft, cold hand calmed the wolf inside and Bigby took deep breaths, panting. His bones ached from the change and he tried not to collapse. Snow pulled her hand from his chest and turned to Bluebeard.

"I don't care who you are," she hissed. "But you will _never_ mention that again. And you will never again undermine my authority or Sheriff Wolf's, especially not in front of the others. Am I clear?"

Bigby doubled over, resting his hands on his knees.

"Miss White…" His deep voice was tight with pain. "You misunderstand me. I - "

"Am I clear?" she demanded, her voice ringing through the silence of the basement.

"Of course, Miss White. My apologies."

_Piece of shit._

"And you." She rounded on Bigby, and he straightened up, his heart beginning to pound harder. He wasn't often on the receiving side of a Snow reprimand, but when he was...oh God he hated it. "I will not tolerate that type of behavior from a Fabletown official, let alone the Sheriff. Am I clear?"

He nodded and knew if he was in his true form, his tail would be between his legs, unwagging.

"Good." Now she addressed the other Fables, whose mouths and eyes were still wide. "Now, if any of you have concerns you'd like to address with either myself or Sheriff Wolf, please feel free to do so. But in an orderly, proper fashion."

No one spoke for a moment or two. But then Beast spoke up. "What if Bluebeard is right, and it's not Charming?"

"The investigation is still ongoing," Bigby responded, the ache in his bones softening as he faced his fellow Fables. "Time will tell if - "

"Time?" another demanded. "What about evidence?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Bigby saw Bluebeard smirk.

"Yeah - what evidence do you have against me?" Charming asked. His eye was bruising. "Because it seems you have none."

"We have enough to keep you in custody for now," Bigby snapped. "Any more questions?"

There were none.

So Bigby pushed through the crowd, heading for the elevator. All he wanted to do was get the hell out of Fabletown and get to Canada. He wanted to leave it all behind - Nerissa, Briar, Charming, Bluebeard, his job, even Snow - and lose himself. God, he was done; he'd had enough. Enough of Fables and Fabletown, this damn job...never being good enough. Maybe he'd stay in Canada, find a pack of wolves. Let Fabletown fend for itself.

"Sheriff," Snow called after him, the _click click click_ of her heels echoing on the cement.

He stopped, not bothering to lose his glare. and turned around. He knew his face was still drawn angrily, but he didn't care. Let Snow see - let them I need you to stay," she said.

"I can't. I have to look over case files," he lied.

Snow sighed heavily but nodded. "Take Charming back with you, then."

all see.

She frowned deeply, but said, "You ought to stay."

"I can't. I've got to look over some case files," he lied.

Snow nodded. "Then take Charming back with you."

"'Course, boss," he murmured.

She leaned forward to kiss his cheek, and her lips were soft, brushing his ear. "I know it doesn't seem like it, but they need you, Bigby. I need you."

His angry resolve was crumbling so he pulled away from her quickly and moved to grab Charming to bring him to the back room. He closed the door and dug around in his pocket for the key to the handcuffs; he unlocked them and Charming stretched his hands, his wrists.

"Someone'll be back later with food," Bigby grunted as he turned to leave.

"Wait," Charming said softly. "Thank you. For-for helping me out there."

"I wasn't helping you. I was making sure Bluebeard didn't kill the only evidence I have for this case."

Charming smirked softly. "Thanks anyway."

He didn't respond. He didn't owe anything to Charming, nor did he need to prove anything. And yet… "Was he right?" he grunted. "You didn't get revenge?"

"No. Snow asked me not to. I wanted to, though. Even now, just thinking about it...what they did to her...but she wouldn't let me."

"Would you have, if she hadn't stopped you?"

"Would you?"

"I'm not the one on trial for murder."

The ex-prince chuckled. "Oh God, Bigby. I know you've got this act, but I - "

"You don't know me at all."

"Don't I? I know you care what we all think of you - you won't admit you'd love to rip those dwarves' heads off because I might think you a monster. I know you think you're not good enough - "

Bigby took a step forward, baring his teeth. The other man was not fazed. "I'd shut my damn mouth - "

" - and I know you're in love with Snow - "

" - if I were you."

" - and that's why you wish to God I killed Briar."

Bigby stepped back and let his menacing glare fall.

"But you know I didn't."

"I only know what the evidence has told me and it says, clear as day, that you were there, she stabbed you - "

"Your evidence is incorrect, Bigby. It's wrong. You're wrong."

"Until there's more, you're staying put." He turned to leave again, heading for the door.

"Whoever did this, Bigby, they're not gonna stop. You and I both know - "

He turned his head back. "Is this an admission?"

"No, it's a prediction." Charming sighed. "You know as well as I do this was not random. In this town - no one would dare murder another Fable as long as the Big Bad Wolf is Sheriff. The Crooked Man killed to demonstrate his control, his power. He wanted you and Fabletown to know. And this - it's another message. And yet, you're wasting your time with me instead of finding the actual killer before he kills Beauty or-or Snow."

"You listen to me." Bigby stepped closer. "You're involved in some way, even if someone wiped your memory. I don't care if it wasn't your goddamn hand in her chest - your blood was _in her apartment. _You're still involved. Got that?"

Charming watched him quietly for a moment, then he murmured, "Sure, Bigby."

* * *

It was Charming. He was damn sure of it. The evidence pointed to it - no forced entry meant _someone Briar knew and trusted _knocked on the door. He'd pulled out a knife, advanced on her - she ran, knocked everything over...but yet, it didn't feel right.

_Swineheart had seen this before. Couldn't have been Charming then - back then he was...kissing Snow awake._

Then who, if it wasn't Charming?

"_...you wish to God I'd killed Briar…"_

But his blood had been there. He'd done it. He had to have done it.

"_...you think you're not good enough…"_

If it wasn't Charming, then where the hell was the other evidence? Why was there none?

"_...you're in love with Snow…"_

It was Charming. Wasn't it?

"_Whoever did this, they're not gonna stop."_

"_You're wrong."_

"_He couldn't even kill the dwarves that raped his wife."_

"Charming? _Really? Is this some kind of joke?"_

With a loud groan Bigby shoved the files from his desk and buried his face in his hands, sighing deeply. The papers hit the ground and then the Security Office went silent.

_If it wasn't Charming who the hell was it?_

"He could've been framed," he whispered to himself. "Maybe a memory-wipe spell." He sighed again and leaned back in his chair. "But then...who would want to kill Briar?"

There was a knock on the door and it opened. Snow stood there, still in her black blazer and skirt, a soft, curious look on her face as she looked at the papers. Bigby couldn't pretend he didn't feel the tension rising in the air.

"Is everything, er, okay?" she asked softly.

He nodded, taking a cigarette from the pack by the ashtray. He wouldn't tell her anything Charming said. Not yet.

"Mayor Cole said you ought to have a deputy," Snow said suddenly.

"When was this?" He lit the cigarette between his lips.

"Yesterday, after he found out about...your suspect."

"When was I gonna hear about this?"

"As soon as we found someone."

Bigby took a drag, letting the smoke curl in the air above him. "I see. And who'd you find?"

Snow dropped her gaze. "Cole chose him before today - it wasn't my fault. I-I wanted - "

A new figure emerged in the doorway; a tall, hulking man with a smirk and a blue-tinted beard. "Hello, Bigby," Bluebeard drawled.

* * *

**Damn Bluebeard ;)**

**Just real quick - if anything is confusing it's probably meant to be that way! :D**

**See ya 'round.**


	5. Chapter 5: Straight Out from Underneath

**Thanks for all the reviews last chapter! They're very appreciated!**

**PS - The song I listened to over and over again while writing this was "Leave" by Matchbox Twenty. I think it really sums up the chapter and both points of view. I'd listen to it if I were you :P [Also the title is a line from the song.]**

* * *

_This chapter is rated M for language._

* * *

**Chapter Five: Straight Out from Underneath**

_He was back at the Witching Well, shrouded in silence. He was alone - no crows, no mirrors - just him and the Well. Bigby approached it cautiously, just waiting for Mary to jump out. But she didn't. He peered down into the Well, its eternal darkness somewhat...appealing. Suddenly a hand shot up, gripping the edge. Briar pulled herself from the depths of the Well, pale and waxy, her eyes grey and lifeless. Bigby found himself face to face with the jagged vein in her heartless chest. He tipped his head back to meet her cold, dead gaze._

"_Bigby," she said. "I'm dead."_

"_I know, Briar, and it's my fault. I - "_

"_Hush up, will you?" She climbed from the Well, landing silent beside him. "It's _not _your fault."_

"_Then whose is it? Who did this to you? Charming?"_

_Briar turned from him, running her fingers over the edge of the Witching Well. "For a sheriff, you seem to have a difficult time piecing evidence together."_

"_Then tell me - what am I missing? I've gone over it in my head again and again. What the hell am I missing?"_

"_You don't have long, Bigby. They'll kill again."_

""_They'? More than one?"_

"_It won't be long now. And if you don't catch them, they won't stop."_

"_Who?! Dammit, Briar - " He reached for her to turn her around. And then he wrenched his hand back in shock, hearing the wounded noise that escaped his lips. "Snow?"_

_She stared back at him, azure eyes hard and glossy. Fresh blood spilled from the hole in her chest. And then she lolled forward, falling towards the Well. He grabbed for her, but she slipped through his fingertips._

"_No - Snow!"_

His eyes snapped open to darkness, interrupted every so often by the glow of a streetlight. The truck jostled him as it followed a bend around a patch of trees and he rubbed his eyes, sitting up straighter.

"You've been out since Keeseville," Snow murmured from the driver's seat. "Are you okay?"

Bigby grunted his response, "Yeah."

"Oh. Well, we're almost there. Only a few more miles till we pass the border."

"Mm." He closed his eyes, saw that _fucking_ Well again and Snow...with a hole into her chest… He opened his eyes again and sighed. He needed to get his mind off it. "Tell me something, Snow. Why the hell is Bluebeard deputy sheriff?"

She sighed softly. "It wasn't my choice. I - "

"Yeah, I know, but why'd Cole choose him?"

"Why do you think? He's the money."

"But why didn't he talk to me?"

"He knew you'd refuse, and Bluebeard demanded the position. And-and, besides, I think it's for the best. You've been too stressed lately. You can't do it all on your own."

"I've been doing it for centuries, haven't I?" he grumbled to himself.

"And, even if you don't want to admit it, you can't do it anymore."

Bigby sighed and leaned back in the seat, watching the dark trees and the stars go by.

"What?"

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" he asked. "You know all the shit he and I've been through. We'll fucking kill each other."

"I _couldn't _tell you, Bigby. I've already explained that." Her voice was cold and he could tell she was working to keep from raising it.

"Look, I know you're pissed at me because you think I'm lying about Charming - "

"You only implicated him because - "

" - but he fucking did it - "

" - he _cheated_ on me - "

" - and I have all the evidence - "

" - are you _listening_ to me?"

" - I need - _yes_, I'm _listening_ to you but what you're saying isn't true."

"Oh really? So you _don't_ hate Charming for what he did because you have feelings for me?"

"_No, _not because I'm attracted to you - which I'm not - "

"You're a liar, a goddamn - "

" - I hate him because he's an ass - "

" - liar and I hate - "

" - and he did - "

" - that about you!"

" - it - " He stopped at her last three words and frowned deeply, meeting her gaze in the dark. "What?"

"You're a liar, Bigby! You lied to me about who Faith was - "

"Okay, but that doesn't - "

"You lied to me about how Georgie died. You lied to me about sleeping with Nerissa. You lied to me about-about your _entire _past! Even though I knew better, you told me you killed in 'self-defense' - "

"I was trying to protect you!"

"From what?" she asked, her voice rising in exasperation.

"From me! I'm a goddamn monster, Snow! I always have been and you don't seem to get that."

"What the hell do you mean - "

"You know exactly what I mean. You've got it in your head that I'm some good guy who can be saved - "

"Well, maybe you ca - "

"No, I can't! I can't. _I'm a monster. _And the quicker you realize that, the better."

Snow cried out in fury and quickly pulled the car over into a small dip in the forestry, slamming on the brake.

"What the hell are you - "

"Shut. Up." She turned off the engine and the lights with a sudden flick of her wrist.

"But we - "

"I said shut. Up."

He did, silently waiting for her to say something. What was she so pissed at?

She was quiet for a while, gripping the steering wheel so tight that her knuckles were white, staring out the windshield. Finally she whispered, "How dare you."

"Wh - "

"How dare you say those things to me."

Even though it was veiled in darkness he could still see her face. Angry. Sad. Scared. Bigby sighed.

"I know you're stressed, but you _don't_ take it out on me. Ever. I've stuck by you for hundreds of years, defended you when others have called you out, given you chance after chance after chance, been your friend and _believed _in you when no one else would. So you will treat me with respect."

He opened his mouth to speak but his voice was blocked by a lump in his throat. She was right. God, she _had_ been the only one. Ever. "I'm sorry," he whispered, though it was hardly audible. "I'm sorry, Snow. For everything. You don't deserve the way I treat you."

She turned her head to look at him, and dropped her hands from the steering wheel, sighing. "Honestly, you treat me better than anybody I've ever known. It's just...when you're stressed out you become a different person. Someone I don't know very well."

Bigby could only sigh, and he rubbed a hand down his tired face.

"It-it's usually not something I worry about...until you go starting fights and - "

"_That _was all Bluebea - "

"What about that fight with Gren a few months ago, at the Trip Trap? Or _destroying_ Georgie Porgie's personal property at his club?"

He sighed again.

"I just don't know how much I can trust you anymore."

"Trust me? Trust me with what?"

"Your job."

Bigby scoffed. "I'm damn good at my job for a _reason_, Snow."

"Yes, because of your amazing investigation skills and the fact that you're naturally protective. But I can't have the sheriff of Fabletown picking fights and endangering the lives of the very people he's trying to protect." Another sigh escaped her lips. "I know you're trying, Bigby, and I appreciate that. But you need to try harder or...I'm afraid we'll have to give the job to somebody else."

"No. No - this isn't - _no._ I've been working my ass off for hundreds of years trying to please you and everybody else. I've risked my goddamn life how many times to protect this town? And this is how you repay me? No. _Fuck no._" And he opened the truck door and climbed out, closing it with a resounding _slam! _He began to walk alongside the road they'd come up on, ignoring Snow calling his name. But he only got a few feet before he felt guilty for not responding.

"Where the hell are you going?!"

"I can't do this anymore, Snow!" he called back. "I've _fucking_ had it! Nothing I do is ever good enough for anyone - so I'm done!"

"Bigby - please!"

"Please what?!" He turned around.

Snow was shivering in her t-shirt and he could hear her - _and smell her _\- crying. He'd never seen her cry before; she was always so strong. But the sight made his heart break.

_It's your fault, you piece of shit._

She took deep breaths as if to calm herself down and her chin trembled each time. And when she spoke again, her voice was frighteningly calm. "From the moment I met you, I knew who you were. And I don't mean your persona. I mean who _you _are. Inside. I knew it as soon as you spared me, as soon as you saved me from those soldiers, and I knew that you could be so much more than you were. You _deserved _to be so much more. And that's why it may seem that nothing you do pleases me. But I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to hurt you. That's the last thing I wanted."

"I still can't stay, Snow."

"Why not?"

"You said it yourself - I'm dangerous. I'm better off somewhere out here, away from people I can disappoint." He could hear her teeth chattering. "Snow, get back in the truck. It's freezing out here."

"C-come with me."

"I'm not getting back in that car. I can't."

She wrapped her arms around herself. "I-I need you, Bigby."

"You'll find another sheri - "

"No, n-not as Sheriff. I need _you._"

Bigby sighed and approached her. God, her skin was almost blue. He wrapped her in his arms and she wound hers around his waist, beneath his heavy coat. "I can't stay."

She pulled away, shaking her head. "Then just leave already." She headed back to the truck without another look. Her soft sobs made his heart ache.

"Snow - "

"You've already made your mind up. Nothing I can do will change it. So just go. It's what you should've done in the first place when I found you in the Carpathians." A wry chuckle escaped her lips as she opened the car door. "I think that would've been best for everyone." With that she climbed in and closed the door. After a moment the brake lights lit up and then dimmed and she peeled the car from the shoulder of the road and drove off.

Bigby was alone now.

The way he was always meant to be.

So why did it feel like shit?

* * *

**So that was fun, huh? :P**

**Go ahead and leave those nasty reviews - you know you wanna! xD**

**See ya 'round.**


	6. Author's Note and Chapter Six Preview

**Hey there! Sorry I haven't updated in a while! I've been so busy with life and school and writing my historical fiction novel. And this Wednesday I'll be leaving to Los Angeles for an internship. So to hold you guys over here's a preview of chapter six.**

**PS I use some dialogue in here that was written by Willingham in "A Wolf in the Fold". I don't own it.**

Chapter Six

He'd found a path through the forest as the sky began to lighten and ditched his clothes and flesh for a shaggy coat. God...he hadn't gone full form outside in ages. Sure, there'd been the fight with Mary but that was all in self-defense. This was...this was freedom. He could see everything; that small spider scurrying up the trunk of that tree - those squirrels off in the distance. And the scents were overwhelming. He couldn't help but wish he had one of his Huff &amp; Puffs. Bigby let out a soft barking laugh at that. What a sight that would be - a twelve-foot tall smoking wolf.

He came to a clearing in the forest, the grass yellow and dead and littered with pine needles. The surrounding trees were black under the still-dark sky and Bigby curled up beside a thick trunk. But every time he closed his eyes all he could see was...everything. His nightmares of Mary. Briar...Snow.

"_So just go. It's what you should've done in the first place when I found you in the Carpathians. I think that would've been best for everyone."_

_She hadn't meant that, right?_

_Fuck._

_You meant what you said._

He sighed and rested his head on his paws.

He couldn't go back now, even if he wanted to. Snow wanted nothing to do with him, he was no closer to finding the perpetrator, and he doubted anyone still wanted him around. Maybe it would've been better for everyone had he stayed behind all those years ago.

Suddenly he remembered that day, the day she found him.

"_Once long ago you promised not to eat me, Gaffer Wolf."_

She had been so beautiful that day, like she always was. He could still picture her then as clearly as he could remember her crying only hours ago. Something inside Bigby ached, ached to hold her, to see her again.

_But you screwed it all up and now she's gone._

He tried to settle down to sleep, even with dawn threatening the edges of the sky. He found he missed his bed, his goddamn blankets.

_You've been away far too long, Bigby._

He closed his eyes.

* * *

He smelled the newcomer before he heard him. It was a man, that much was obvious, but his scent was so...so distantly familiar. Bigby opened his eyes and they landed on the man. He was a good head taller than Bigby's human form, wide hulking shoulders. He stood beside a tree several yards away, just watching. He was too calm to be a mundy yet Bigby rose to his full height, and the man's dark eyes widened.

"You're bigger than I expected, Wolf." He had a thick, deep voice.

Bigby's body ached with sleep as he realized it was barely past dawn. "Who are you?"

"I'm not surprised you don't know. We did not ever meet in the Homelands."

"Obviously." Bigby began his slow advance. "So who are you?"

Something shone at the man's belt - a long, jagged knife. He touched the hilt.

"If you know who I am you know that can't kill me," Bigby said. "So you best leave it be. And maybe I won't have to hurt you."

He heard another sound - tsk tsk tsk. He turned his head to find - Ilyse. She walked into the clearing, running her finger over a dagger. Her black hair was tied up and her eyes shone brightly. "My, my, my Bigby. I'm disappointed."

"And I don't give a shit."

She chuckled darkly. "Oh but you should, Mr. Wolf. You see, once again, you underestimate me. I have here a dagger of silver." She held it up to the light. "And my Huntsman has one of his own."

"And?"

"And..." She laughed softly. "You are interfering with our plan, Mr. Wolf."

"Plan? What the hell are you talking about?"

"Now, what kind of villain would I be if I explained it all to you?" She approached him slowly. "There's a reason the princes and princesses always win in the Mundy tales. Us villains are stupid, foolish, bumbling idiots. But this is not a Mundy tale, Bigby."

And she buried the knife in his side before he could stop her.

* * *

**Hopefully I can post the full version soon! Till then, see ya 'round!**


	7. Chapter 6: Hold On, Little Girl

**My writer's block is gone! Yesss.**

**Thanks so much for sticking with me and hopefully it'll be easier now!**

**The title is from the song "Sick" by Evanescence, which I think captures Snow and Ilyse's relationship :3**

**Enjoy!**

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**Chapter Six: Hold On, Little Girl**

"Piece of _crap_ truck." Snow groaned exasperatedly as she kicked the truck's flat tire. She was in the middle of nowhere with a tear in the driver's side tire in the freezing cold dawn with nothing but Bigby's coat. She sighed as she pulled the thick brown thing tighter around her shoulders. It smelled so much like him; like old cigarettes and bourbon; a smell she'd come to love. How had…how had that fight even began? As she drove, Snow had thought about it again and again, trying to pinpoint exactly when she had gone wrong. It hit her now as she stood on the shoulder of the highway, the dawn morning shrouded by trees – it wasn't just one specific time. It was _every_ time she frowned at him, or doubted him…all those times she told him "what he turned into" could not happen again.

Snow squatted down to poke again at the tire. If she hadn't been such a…a _bitch_, as the other Fables liked to call her, she wouldn't be in this mess. Bigby would have helped her with the tire and then they'd be on their way to the Portal to sort through this mess with Ilyse once and for all. And then they would check into a motel room – just one, with two beds. After they showered, separately of course, they would sit on their respective bed and maybe share a conversation on their relationship. And maybe, _just maybe, _Bigby would have kissed her. It was only warranted, after the way he had been acting around her as of late. Hugs in the Witching Well chamber, joking with her, admitting he was _worried_ about her…

_No use in dwelling on it now. He's never coming back._

Tears began to burn in her eyes and she laughed softly, bitterly through them. "Crying over Bigby? Who'd've thought you would ever…?"

The snap of a twig made her jump up. She peered into the forestry off the shoulder, squinting to see in the darkness. But she saw nothing and her tensed up shoulders relaxed.

"You're Snow freakin' White," she murmured. "You can fight off whatever's there anyway." She turned towards the road to find a pair of headlights in the distance, and her heart sped up. Maybe it was one of those generous, selfless Mundies she'd heard about before. Or, God forbid, another Fable. As the headlights grew closer she stood on her tiptoes and stretched her arm over her head in a dramatic wave.

_Come on, come on, please._

The headlights practically blinded her as the car – another truck – slowed to stop behind hers. The driver kept the headlights on, however, as he opened the door and stepped out. His silhouette was hulking, bigger than Bigby's, and Beast's, and he closed the door. Snow rocked back onto her heels, lowering her hand. Something inside her stomach started to churn.

"Are you all right, miss?"

That voice…it was so _familiar. _She watched him for a moment, making out a large, crooked nose and thick eyebrows. "I'm just having some car trouble."

"Flat tire?"

She glanced behind his black outline and into the truck. There was another person there, shrouded in darkness. Their eyes – _oh my God_ – flashed for just a moment bright green. And then she couldn't see them anymore.

"Miss?"

Heart pounding, she looked back to the man. He was stepping closer and something glinted in his hand. It was sharp and silver…like a knife.

_Oh no. Oh God no._

"You needn't be afraid, Miss White."

"How do you…?"

He approached her and she stepped back and back until she was pressed against her truck's bumper. Snow stared at his knife in fear as he grew closer. And when he came into full view, she recognized him.

The Huntsman grinned at her. "Remember me, Snow?"

This was the exact position they had been in, last time she saw him centuries ago. Except his face had been kinder, softer – _"Ilyse wishes you dead, Miss Snow, but I-I cannot."_ – and he slid the knife back against his side moments after drawing it. Now he moved closer, even after she leaned back into the truck, wishing for Bigby to leap out of the forest, wolf-form or not, and save her.

_Hell no. You're Snow freakin' White, remember?_

"Ilyse told me you…she'd killed you," Snow said softly.

Jakob drew close, his body inches from hers. He towered over her, a good foot taller, and his broad shoulders obscured the lights from his truck. "Ilyse would never kill me."

"How did you make it out of the Homelands? She said the man she came with was – she lost him."

"Did she now?" He pressed the cold blade of the knife against Snow's throat and she gasped softly. "Are you going to beg for your life again, princess?"

_You're Snow freakin' White._

She lifted her knee and quickly drove it up between his legs, aiming for his crotch. Jakob's blue eyes widened and he stepped back, his large hand moving to his now-injured groin as he let out a pained grunt. Snow took this opportunity and _ran_. She headed for the forestry and ditched Bigby's coat at the shoulder of the road so she could go faster. As she ducked and dodged past trees and bushes she remembered her nightdress getting caught on branches hundreds of years ago. Now they cut her arms and face but she kept going. _She kept going._

Eventually she reached a clearing and she stopped against a tree to catch her breath and rest her aching, burning legs. The sky was growing brighter and she heard – nothing.

"Bigby!" she cried.

_Jakob will hear you._

"Bigby, where are you?"

Nothing.

She sank to her knees on the cold, dead ground and didn't stop her tears this time.

What had she done? Bigby was gone because of her and now she was…she was running for her life. How _quickly _things had changed. For that matter…how did Jakob know where she was? And how did he come? Was he alone? Who was that person in the truck…with the eyes?

_Enough, Snow! It doesn't matter._

She heard him walk up behind her and she didn't move, or fight him when he grabbed her jaw, pressing the blade against her throat again. But she did hear another set of footsteps; these were lighter. Ilyse slowly made her way before Snow. Her black hair was tied up and she smirked as always, in a dark leather jacket, jeans, and boots. Those eyes of hers laughed.

"Hello, my dear," her aunt said, her voice smooth with that faint accent.

"What are you doing here?"

"Why don't you save the questions for later. There'll be plenty of time to answer them."

"You're – you're not going to kill me?"

"Why on earth would I kill you?" Her smirk brightened. "Besides the fact that you're a whiney, disobedient bitch."

"I see you still retain that renowned class of yours."

Ilyse frowned and slapped her across the cheek. "Enough. Foolish girl."

Snow bit her lip to hold back her gasp as her cheek began to sting. It was like she was fourteen again. "What do you want from me?"

"What I've always wanted from you. However, this time it serves a better purpose."

She winced at the pain in her cheek and from the knife biting into her throat. "If you don't plan on killing me, could you tell your Huntsman to _back the hell off_?"

"It's a precaution, my dear." Ilyse squatted down so she was eye-level with Snow. She brushed her niece's hair from her eyes and sighed softly. And then she brought her fingers to Snow's temples and suddenly everything went black.

* * *

He heard her calling his name.

He was halfway between sleep and consciousness when he heard her cries, already in his full wolf form. So he listened for her, sniffed for her scent. His ears picked up a small crack miles away, the sound of a slap. And he heard faint buzzing, like voices. And for once he couldn't smell her. Not when he fucking needed to.

Bigby ran. He ran through the forest, through any fucking trees that got in his way until her scent grew clearer. After a short while he found the truck. And there was _another_ truck parked behind it, its headlights burning bright as day. And Snow was nowhere to be found. He sniffed the air again and caught a whiff of…cigarettes and bourbon? He followed it to find his discarded coat nearby. But not Snow. Yet her scent was strong, strawberries and honey and something _else_ he could never put his finger on; something that always drew them together.

He stopped smelling it as soon as he came to a clearing. There was no one there; no leaves on the ground disturbed as if someone had…God forbid, dragged a body. No broken tree limbs, no blood. And yet her scent just…disappeared.

_The fuck? Am I losing it?_

Something in his wolf heart ached.

Where was she?

God_dammit._

"Snow?" he called, though it sounded more a howl in this form.

Nothing.

He loped back to the parked trucks and pushed back into his human form. The pain was quick and soft, his muscles and bones used to the change. He dressed quickly in some clothes he'd packed and picked up his coat from the ground. Snow's scent danced with his own on it – she must have worn it after he left. The thought made his heart hurt – actually _physically _hurt – and he cursed.

"_Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!_"

_She's gone, you idiot. And it's all your fault._

He growled at this and squeezed his eyes shut.

She could be dead, for all he knew.

_No. She can't be._

_Rrrriiinnnnggggg….rrrriiiinnnnnggggg…_

"What the hell?" he whispered.

The ringing continued as if right inside his ear.

_The fucking car phone._

Bigby climbed into the truck to answer the call. Why the hell would a shitty pickup truck have a car phone? Why do cars even need phones?

_Now's not the goddamn time, Bigby._

He put the receiver up to his ear. "Yeah?"

"Bigby?"

"Blue?"

"Um, yeah."

"Is everything all right?"

"No, Bigby."

"You gonna tell me?"

"Is Snow there? Are you still driving?"

"Why did you call?"

"Someone else died," he whispered.

"_What?_ Who?"

"Rapunzel. We-we found her early this morning, about an hour ago – "

Bigby sighed heavily and leaned back in the driver's seat.

" – and her heart was _gone._ Swineheart said it was just like Briar."

Of course it was.

"But then…someone's been kidnapped, too, Bigby."

"Who?" He closed his eyes. _Why the fuck am I not there? Goddamn Bluebeard._

"Your friend, Nerissa."

"No," he whispered.

Nerissa? Kidnapped? Who could - ?

"I'm sorry, Bigby. I think you and Snow need to get back here."

"Snow's gone," he said.

"Wh-what?"

"She's fucking gone. Kidnapped…_murdered_…I don't know. But she's gone."

Blue was quiet for a few moments. "You need to find her, Bigby. You need to find her and get back here – "

"I know!" he growled. "I know."

"I mean, now. Bluebeard told everyone _everything_. And Cole disappeared after you two left, and no one can find _him_ anywhere and…"

He smelled her.

Strawberries.

And that thing he could never pinpoint.

Suddenly he could smell Nerissa too. Her cheap fruity perfume, her cigarettes…

Bigby climbed out of the truck without even hanging up. He followed their intertwining scents. They drove his nose crazy but he followed them. He wasn't losing _either_ of them again.

He found them in that clearing, the one he had lost Snow's scent in. They had been placed on the ground and lay unconscious. _Not dead._

"Nice of you to join us, Mr. Wolf."

He turned at the voice, the voice with the German lilt, and found Ilyse leaning against a tree. She had a huge, hulking man by her side. "_You._"

"Yes, it's me. Are you at all surprised?"

"What the hell did you do to them?"

She grinned evilly and came off the tree, smoothing her jacket. "They'll be fine. For now."

"Whatever the fuck you did to them – I'll kill you, Ilyse. Let them go. _Now._"

"Jakob," she said softly, and the man behind her walked forward. He brandished a knife. It glinted in the dawn light. "My Huntsman here made this blade out of pure silver, Mr. Wolf. And I have one of my own. We both know just how it affects you."

He took a step back at the sight of the knife and Swineheart's voice rang through his head; that one more silver bullet near his heart would kill him. "Let them go, Ilyse, and nobody will be hurt."

"I'm afraid I can't do that."

"What do you want from them?"

"Now, what kind of villain would I be if I explained it all to you?" She approached him slowly and drew her knife. "There's a reason the princes and princesses always win in the Mundy tales. Us villains are stupid, foolish, bumbling idiots. But this is not a Mundy tale, Bigby."

And she buried the knife in his side before he could stop her.

* * *

**So I cranked this out in like an hour because I knew you guys deserved it so if it sucks I'm sorry :/**

**But lemme know what you thought!**

**Okay wait, before you go...know what I noticed?**

**There's no Snigby community :O**

**We must make one, okay? xD**

**Oh you want me to, huh?**

**Well I _could... _;)**

**See ya 'round, lovely readers!**


	8. Chapter 7: Magic Mirror On the Wall

**A little earlier then I promised some of you :3 Also, it was written at two o'clock in the morning so sorry if it's not coherent.  
**

**Thanks for all of your wonderful reviews last chapter!**

* * *

_This chapter is rated T for brief strong language and a disturbing, violent scene._

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**Chapter Seven: Magic Mirror On the Wall...  
**

_Where could they be?_

It was all Boy Blue could think of as he paced up and down the Business office, filling the spacious room with his angry footsteps.

_They can't just be gone…_

He turned towards the little green monkey sitting before the Magic Mirror. "Bufkin!" he snapped, and the monkey's head turned mid-sentence. "Anything?"

"Er, no, Blue. He says they can't be found."

Blue strode over to the Mirror and pushed his hair from his eyes. He stopped beside Bufkin and looked into the Mirror's green, skeletal face. "He can show us those who are dead, right?"

Bufkin was silent for a few moments, just staring up at Blue with those big black eyes of his. Finally he said softly, "I suppose, sir, if who we looked for were dead."

"Is he…broken or something, then? If he can see someone who has died, then why can't he see Bigby, or Snow, or Nerissa? They've _got_ to be alive."

Bufkin motioned to the Mirror. "Ask him."

Blue sighed softly as he searched for a rhyme in his head. He hated speaking to the Mirror almost as much as the Sheriff did. But that's why he was doing this – to find the Sheriff, to find Snow. "Mirror Mirror, we're in an awful plight; so could you please show us Snow White?"

The Mirror flashed momentarily before his bald head returned, emotionless as always. "The person you seek cannot be found; it seems as if a spell has been put down."

"A spell." Blue sighed. "That's great."

"Have you tried calling again, sir?"

"I've called every fifteen minutes since Bigby _disappeared_ in the middle of our first phone call. No one is answering." Blue hung his head. "They're gone, Bufkin."

"Chin up, young Blue. They can't be too far gone. At least we know they are with another Fable. Nerissa, too."

"For all we know, they could be tortured, beaten…" Blue sighed heavily and smoothed his hair back. "If we don't find them – "

The door to the Business office burst open and Pinocchio rushed in, followed by Flycatcher. As the latter closed the door, Pinocchio stopped beside the Magic Mirror, doubling over, panting.

"It's crazy out there," he said between heavy breaths. "The line is way back to the elevator. I almost had to punch Grendel in the face for giving me and Fly shit about cutting."

"I-I can't deal with any of them right now." Blue walked over to his desk behind Snow's and collapsed in his chair. It was a small desk cluttered with paperwork and notes and letters and he just shoved it off, and it all crashed onto the floor. He put his head in his hands.

"Get Bluebeard to do something," Flycatcher suggested.

"He's the one who told everyone _everything_ in the first place. He doesn't want to help."

"We can help," Pinocchio said. "What do you need us to do?"

"We need to find Cole." Blue lifted his head to meet his friends' gazes – Pinocchio, Flycatcher, Bufkin…they watched him silently. "He's got to be in his apartment."

"You tried the Mirror?" Flycatcher asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yeah, and he couldn't be found either." Blue looked to the little green monkey as he perched himself on the edge of the desk. "I'm telling you, Bufkin, the Mirror is broken."

"It can't be; it's magical. It's in the name."

"But it can't find anyone!"

"I'll see if I can find Cole," Flycatcher said with a soft nod. "Maybe Grimble can help."

"Thank you, Fly. Pinocchio, can you help me deal with the Fables outside?"

"'Course. Can I kick some ass?"

Blue snorted a laugh. "Possibly." He pushed his chair back as he stood up and looked to Bufkin. "Keep trying the Mirror. Please."

"Of course, young Blue!" The monkey pushed up from the desk and glided back towards the Mirror.

The door opened again, and this time it was –

"Mayor _Cole_?"

He was flanked by Snow's aunt and a horde of Fables shouting complaints and concerns. He walked slowly, his aged face pale and hard, like stone. Blue shook this off and walked around his desk to meet his boss.

"Sir, where have you been?" He almost had to yell to make his voice heard.

"That is neither here nor there, Blue," Cole responded flatly, completely devoid of emotion. He sat down at Snow's desk with a hard flop and held up a hand to silence the Fables as Ilyse perched herself gracefully onto the desk. She watched him with a quiet intensity.

"I'm sure you are all wondering where Miss White and Sheriff Wolf have gone."

This brought on a whole new round of clamoring which Cole muted with his hand again.

"Miss Grimhilde, Snow's aunt, has informed me that the two are on a much-needed vacation. Together."

"What the fuck?" someone – Gren, probably – demanded.

"Now?"

"When the hell did this happen?"

"Do they know about Nerissa and-and Rapunzel?"

"Who's gonna help us?"

"You can direct all of your questions to Boy Blue," Cole said.

Blue gulped as all eyes turned to him; even Ilyse's – they smirked.

"I have some other business to attend to." With that, Cole rose and ambled for the door, followed by Ilyse. And twenty Fables began to bear down on Blue.

* * *

It was nine o'clock before he was able to get away, and no progress had been made on the disappearances. None at all. No matter how often they tried the Mirror they couldn't find anything. It was enough to make Blue curse at _everything_; the anger and frustration made his body shake and his head spin. He wanted to be done with it all; to just return to his crappy apartment and relax on his crappy couch and try to get some rest. But no – there was still one more thing he needed to take care of.

It was freezing in the Woodlands basement and Blue wrapped his coat tighter around himself. In the chaos of his early morning Blue had somehow forgotten about the prisoner down here. Charming probably didn't even know what was going on. He opened the door to the back room to find the prince sitting on the bed, staring at his shackles. He didn't look up.

"I was beginning to think I was forgotten about," he murmured. "It's a new feeling; one I can't say I enjoy."

"There's been another murder." It came out before Blue could stop himself.

Charming looked up, his blue eyes wide. "What? Who?"

"Rapunzel."

"Was she…? I mean – her heart…?"

"Just like Briar," Blue whispered.

The prince looked away. "Good God."

"I know it's not you, Charming. I never thought it was."

"Does Bigby still think so?"

He sighed and moved to sit in the chair with the leather straps attached to it, trying not to think about the number of prisoners that had been abused in it. "That's…the other reason I came." At the prince's silence he went on, "He and Snow are…missing, along with another Fable."

"Missing? What…what the hell does that mean?"

"It means we can't find them."

"The Mirror – "

"Says they've been put under some type of cloaking spell."

Charming rubbed his stubbled jaw and shook his head. "And you don't know who's behind it?"

"No."

His eyes flicked up to Blue's. "I think I might."

* * *

"Hello, old friend."

The Mirror awoke and showed its emerald head. "Ilyse, my dear."

She smiled. "It's been quite some time."

"And so it has, but why are you here?"

She looked around the Business office to once again ensure she was alone, having sworn at that cursed winged monkey when she first walked in and heard no reply, no other sounds. Her gaze found that of the Mirror's again and she wracked her brain for a quick rhyme. "Mirror Mirror, I search for only one person; now quickly show me Jakob, my Huntsman."

The Mirror flashed to a vision of Jakob, standing in darkness. His back was to the light in the cell door, casting an eerie glow on his broad hulking shoulders. He did not speak, but Ilyse could hear the slice of a blade on flesh and the muffled whimpers of his prisoner.

"What do you want from me, Jakob?" Snow whispered, her voice thick with unshed tears.

"It's not about what _I_ want."

"Does she want me dead?"

Jakob ceased for a moment and Ilyse watched him step back. "She has always wanted you dead, Snow."

The vision disappeared as the Mirror showed its face again. "What…what have you done, Ilyse?"

"That will be all." She walked away before it could speak any more, her heels _click-click_ing on the stone floor. The sound echoed through the empty Business office.

At least, she thought it was empty.

As she left and closed the door behind her, Bufkin peeked out from his hiding place in the rafters.

_It's Ilyse.  
_

* * *

**Thank you Bufkin, Captain Obvious :3**

**Yes, I wrote the rhyming crap myself which is why it sucks.**

**I totally get Bigby's refusal.**

**Sheesh.**

**Well, let me know what you thought! I love reading your reviews :3**


	9. Chapter 8: Memories

**I'm just cranking them out! Go me! xD**

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_This chapter is rated T for language._

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**Chapter Eight: Memories  
**

"…so you're telling me this jackass knows who kidnapped them?" Pinocchio eyed the prince warily, his arms folded across his chest. He and Blue were in their apartment with the door locked and Flycatcher and Charming sitting wherever they could find room around the tiny living room.

Blue sighed heavily and rubbed his tired eyes. It was ten-thirty and all he wanted was some sleep.

_You're the one who dragged Charming back to your apartment to tell Fly and Pinocchio._

"He's not a jackass, Pinocchio. He's – "

"No, he's right, Blue." Charming sighed heavily and leaned back against the table, running a hand through his black hair. "I _am _a jackass."

"See? He's the one that abandoned all of us after the Exile – and let's not forget his history with Snow White _and _the fact that he's technically on trial for murder – his ex-wife's, for that matter. So how the hell – _why _the hell should we trust him?"

"Because he's trying to help."

"Believe it or not, I want to find them as much as you three do," Charming said softly as he folded his arms across his chest. "Snow was my wife – did you ever think I still might have a soft spot for her?"

Pinocchio frowned. "I don't trust you."

"Trust me or not, I don't care. But I can help."

"Who did it?" Flycatcher asked gently from the window across the room.

"Ilyse."

"Snow's aunt?" Pinocchio demanded. "What a load of shit."

"Let him talk," Blue said. "He may be onto something."

Charming nodded, a quick, grateful tip of his head and then he came off the table to address them. "You don't know Ilyse like Snow and I do. To be honest, _I _don't even know her as well as Snow does. But she told me stories. And Ilyse…as _charming _as she may seem – "

"She's a jackass?" Pinocchio asked.

The prince cracked a smile. "More or less. She's a powerful sorceress, even more powerful than Totenkinder, and she's not afraid to use her power. Not only that, but she's manipulative, apathetic, and needlessly cruel. She does whatever she wants, no matter who it hurts, and forces those around her to do the same."

"What do you mean?" Blue asked, rising up from the comfort of the couch as his eyelids fell. He needed to get up, stretch.

"There were two Huntsmen the night she…cast Snow out. Brothers; Jakob and Will. I never knew either of them, but they were close with Snow." Charming rubbed his stubbled jaw and sighed. "Ilyse had Jakob under her thumb. If they weren't…_together_ then they certainly are now. And when they let Snow run Jakob…I guess he was afraid of returning empty-handed. So he murdered his own brother to please Ilyse."

Blue stopped halfway to the kitchen and looked back, catching the prince's sad blue eyes. "What?"

"It wasn't a boar the Huntsman killed that night, like the Mundies say. It was his own goddamn brother."

No one spoke for a few moments; just stared at different spots on the wall.

"She's ruthless," Charming murmured finally. "And if I know her, she's turned her Huntsman that way too."

"Snow told me she said she came alone through the Portal," Blue called as he ducked into the tiny refrigerator for a Coke. He popped the can open and took a long swig. The soda burned his throat in the good way alcohol could. But he didn't have any of that; damn his Mundy age.

"While she could've, she probably lied to protect his identity or something."

Blue took another drink and closed the fridge before walking back out into his living room. "Do you think she's the one behind…the murders?"

Charming nodded. "As soon as I heard she was in town I knew it. If she didn't do it by her own hand she had Jakob do it."

"But _why_?" Pinocchio asked. "And why the hell was your blood there?"

"I don't know. That's the one thing I can't figure out."

"Some help _you_ are, Prince." Yet Pinocchio offered a small smile.

Charming nodded once.

"Where would they be?" Fly asked. "The Mirror can't find them."

"A cloaking spell, probably."

"But what about Cole?" Blue asked after another drink. "The Mirror couldn't find him either."

The ex-prince arched his eyebrow. "But he showed up eventually?"

"Yeah, with that witch on his arm," Pinocchio spat.

"I don't know about that one. Another cloaking spell, maybe, but why?"

Blue took another sip and sank back into the couch. "I think our first priority is finding Bigby and Snow and Nerissa. But where could they be?"

"Give the Mirror another try," Charming said. "I can go up the Thirteenth Floor, see if the witches can't do anything. And we need to keep eyes on Ilyse at all times, if we can."

Blue closed his eyes as he sank deeper into the crappy couch. He needed to _sleep._

"What about Bluebeard?"

"What _about_ that smug prick, Flycatcher?" Pinocchio asked. Blue felt the couch shift beside him – his friend must have gotten up.

"He's the sheriff now…do we tell him any of this?"

"No." Charming spoke with the authority and finality that only a prince carried. "Let's keep this between the three of us for now."

Blue nodded – or at least he _thought _he nodded; he couldn't really feel it. "I'll…go…Magic Mirror…" With a yawn he turned his face into the scentless fabric of the couch. The last thing he remembered was Pinocchio laughing.

* * *

The first time he was in the Business Office he hadn't had time to appreciate it, as he was being wrongfully accused of murder. But this time, as Charming approached the mirror, he let his eyes wander over everything. The statues and artifacts and remnants of the Homelands. The sword, the ship, the genie lamp…it hit Charming with a brick of nostalgia and he stopped beside his ex-wife's desk to survey it all.

"You've done a good job here, Snow," he murmured to the empty air. Then he sighed. "Where are you?" He made his way towards the Magic Mirror and shook his head. How the hell did you wake this thing up again? "Mirror, Mirror – "

It flashed to life, and the Mirror's bald, green head appeared. "Well, well, if it isn't Prince Charming. I must say, sir, seeing you here is a bit alarming."

"I've no time for talk."

"I see. Then whom do you seek?"

"Mirror, Mirror, though I know Ilyse would not be so careless; could you please try and show me the Sheriff?"

"Close enough." The Mirror flickered between the same images – its face and blackness – for about a minute. Finally it settled on its face. "The one you seek cannot be found; it seems a spell has been put down."

"Goddammit," Charming hissed under his breath.

"Don't blame the Mirror; it is not his fault."

He turned at the sound of the voice to find Ilyse standing by the door of the Business Office. She wore a smirk doused in red lipstick. "Where are they?"

"I'm afraid I don't know who – "

"Enough of this shit, Ilyse." He walked to her. "Where are they?"

She stood her ground before him, smirking into his face. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"You will tell me."

"And why should I? Rather, why do you even care?" She laughed softly and touched his cheek with her soft, smooth hand. "Could it be you're still in love with Snow White?"

He pushed her hand away. "Where are they?"

Ilyse gently pressed her body to his and leaned up to whisper in his ear, running her nails along the back of his neck. "Over my dead body, darling. Snow and her Sheriff and _his _little toy are all gone. You're never getting them back."

"We'll see about that." He pushed her away from him and she smiled. "If you hurt them, Ilyse – "

"What? What will you do?"

"I'll kill you."

"I've been hearing that quite often lately. Seems no one has the guts to do it." Her grin widened. "You know, I can't have you running around like this, talking to secretaries and wooden boys about me. Yes, I saw you, dear, in the Mirror. What a mistake you made. Ha." She put her fingers up to his temple. "Good night, sweet prince."

Everything went black.

* * *

**Dun dun duuuunnnnn.**

_**[For whom it may concern, I've begun work on a Walking Dead fanfic, the TV show. Keep an eye out for it!]**_

**Review? :3  
**


	10. Chapter 9: Remember Death

**Haha hey guys...so uh remember Brannigan? Yeah I changed that. She won't be in this fanfiction. Maybe the sequel...it was just too hard and her storyline wasn't what I wanted to focus on. Sorry!**

**I also added in something else - Beauty was kidnapped as well. I haven't added that into chapter five yet, but I will.**

* * *

_This chapter is rated T for violence and language._

* * *

**Chapter Nine: Remember Death  
**

_Where am I?_

Charming sat up in – in his _bed_. His head was foggy and…well, nothing. Other than that, he felt fine. Great, even. Except –

He couldn't remember ever coming home.

In fact, he couldn't even remember yesterday at all.

Sunlight shone through his open window and he climbed out of bed to close it. The clock on his wall read _10:07 _– he'd slept in later than usual.

Had…had he been drunk? Hungover?

_Why _couldn't he remember?

Charming ran his hand through his hair and turned to head for the bathroom, realizing for the first time that he was still fully dressed. Maybe…maybe he _had _gotten rip-roaring drunk and ended up at a Mundy's place and came back a few hours ago…? But it didn't make _sense_. He'd tried on countless occasions to get so wasted as to induce memory loss but he never could.

He caught his gaze in the mirror and frowned. He looked terrible. Pale, black rings under his eyes, chapped lips. He had stubble-turning-beard from his stint in jail – _jail. Why am I not there? Did Bigby let me out?_

"Amnesia is simply the _worst, _isn't it, darling?"

He shivered involuntarily at the sound of her voice. Ilyse stood in the doorway of his bathroom with a bright red smirk. "What are you doing in my apartment?"

"Just a friendly visit."

"We are not friends." He turned on the facet to splash some cold water on his face. "So get out."

"My, my, my; you're quite the killjoy today, aren't you?" She touched his shoulder with her long, soft fingers.

Charming couldn't pretend that he felt _nothing…_Ilyse was a very sensual woman, always using her body to her advantage. But something…something in the deep back of his mind told him that he couldn't – _shouldn't_ – trust her. Yet he didn't know why.

She gently pressed up behind him and moved to whisper in his ear. "I need you to do something for me, darling."

His mind went blank and he met her gaze in the mirror, those bright green eyes.

"I need you to find some Fables, particularly Boy Blue, Flycatcher, and Pinocchio. Can you do that for me, dear?"

"Yes." His voice sounded hollow and hard.

"Good, good. Blue and Flycatcher, you may bring them with you by all means necessary. But do _not _harmPinocchio. Understand? He is…_important_ to our cause."

"Yes."

"Good. So what are you waiting for, my dear? I'll be in the basement. It's time we reveal ourselves. Don't dawdle."

* * *

"…I don't know, Fly, is he…? …shit, yeah he is….well shut up…what the hell are you motioning…_I'm _the one being loud? ...I'm not being loud…"

Blue's eyes snapped open at the sound of his roommate's voice. "You're being extremely loud, Pinocchio," he called groggily, rolling onto his back. The open blinds on the single window cast a dangerously unwanted amount of sunlight across Blue's face and he groaned, covering his eyes with his hands. "Why am I on the couch?"

"You fell asleep there last night, right before Charming left," Fly answered softly.

"Charming…_oh._" He sighed heavily as yesterday's memories came rushing back to him. Snow and Bigby and Nerissa and Beauty going missing…Rapunzel murdered…Cole under Ilyse's spell…and everything that Charming had said. "I hoped that was all a dream."

"You and me both, man." Clutching a can of Coke Pinocchio plopped onto the couch beside Blue's feet. "But it's not. So what are we gonna do?"

"Hell if I know."

Fly sat in the armchair beside the couch and ran his hands through his unruly hair. "We never heard from Charming last night, after he left. We should talk to him. Or the witches."

"Think he ever actually went?" Pinocchio asked.

"I hope so."

Blue sat up and stretched his arms over his head, letting out a yawn. "I probably can't take today off, huh?"

"No way! You gotta keep everything upright till we get Snow and Bigby back!"

Blue met his roommate's blue-eyed gaze and sighed. "What makes you think they're coming back? You heard Charming. Ilyse is ruthless. She's probably killed them."

"We can't think like that, Blue," Fly responded, ever the voice of reason.

"I know." He hung his head.

There came a sudden pounding on the door, causing the door to shake and creak.

"Goddamn – _I'm coming!" _Pinocchio stood up and went to open it. He chuckled. "Charming? About time you showed up."

The ex-prince pushed past him. He was pale, yet flustered, his face hard and his eyes empty. "You three need to come with me now."

"Wh-why? Where?"

"Come, _now._"

"What's wrong with you, dude?" Pinocchio asked. "You look terrible."

"No time for questions. You must come with me now."

They exchanged glances before scurrying up from their spots. Blue grabbed his keys and locked the door on his way out.

* * *

The prince brought them to the basement of the Woodlands. It was packed with every single other Fable in Fabletown, each of them complaining and whining and asking why they were there. Ilyse stood beside the Well, along with Bluebeard, Cole, and a few other Fables Blue didn't recognize. Charming joined them after a moment and leaned down to whisper something in her ear. Something strange was about her today… it was her face. She looked…older.

"I don't like this," Pinocchio whispered beside Blue.

"Me either." He watched Mayor Cole take a few wobbly steps forward, his old face pale and drawn tightly. He looked like he was about to collapse and his clothes were starting to hang on his shrinking frame.

"Thank you all for joining us here this morning on such short notice," he said.

"Yeah, what the fuck is going on?" Grendel called from somewhere in the crowd, amongst a flurry of voices.

"All in due time." The mayor rubbed his tired-looking face. "As many of you know, the start of this month brought us a new Fable, Miss Ilyse Grimhilde. She is here today to make an announcement, direct from the Homelands. So listen carefully."

Ilyse smiled her sickeningly-charming smile and touched the Mayor's shoulder as she stepped in front of him. "Thank you, darling." She looked towards the crowd with her smile. "Many of you were told I was the Adversary's slave; captured by him when he took my kingdom away from me. And for awhile, this was true. But not long after the Adversary arrested me he realized just how important I could be."

_No…she's not saying…?_

"He sent me here as a _spy._" Her clear, bright laughter echoed through the basement. "Look at you, eyes wide and mouths agape, as if it were a surprise. I'm shocked it's taken you all this long to figure it out. What a sorry bunch you are. My Emperor will have no problem with his invasion of your pathetic little town."

Someone shouted something at her; but the words were lost in the pounding in Blue's ears. Invasion? No. They weren't ready. They didn't have Bigby or Snow…

"Get back!" Bluebeard cried as he drove his dagger into Jack Horner's stomach. He must've been the one shouting and he must've run up…the young man stumbled backwards into the arms of some of the other Fables.

"You traitorous _bastard_!" Beast shouted from somewhere in the mob. "You've been working with her?"

"She has the Mayor – and Charming on her side too!" someone else exclaimed.

"Don't worry," Ilyse smirked. "They'll be staying here with you."

Bluebeard looked at her with wide eyes. "_What?_ You said – "

"I say anything to get what I want, dear Bluebeard. As do you. It was your own fault to trust me." She laughed softly. "Enjoy your time down here, Fables, for it won't be long till the Emperor arrives with your doom in hand." As she spoke she headed for the elevator. "Of course, you can always throw yourself down the Witching Well, save yourself from the pain _he _will bring. I'm sure dear Bluebeard and the Mayor and your sweet prince will be the first ones."

"I knew it!" Pinocchio hissed. "And I knew we couldn't trust Charming! I told you…"

His voice faded into all the others screaming and crying and cursing around Blue. But he was numb, his mind and ears and _everything_ numb.

They were going to die, locked in the basement like rats. Locked in with a spell, probably, one that the other witches couldn't break. Locked in so it would be easier for the Adversary to destroy them.

They were going to die.

* * *

**What a turn this is taking, huh?**

**So Bigby was right about Ilyse being a spy! Did you think so too?**

**Sorry if the end feels rushed - I really wanted to get this done :3  
**

**And once again, anything that doesn't make sense will be revealed in the end. Hold on, my lovelies!**

**Review, please?**

**See ya round!**


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